by Francis
C.
I arrived at Martin Marietta (Glen L. Martin Company) in 1955 at
the Baltimore, Maryland, plant. I have had many rewarding design experiences. The
following is the most memorable and challenging.
The customer was the Army in the early to mid-1970s. I derived the
unique electronic packaging design solution that made it possible for a full
complement of delicate, non-encapsulated guidance electronics to survive the
mammoth force of 9,000 g's experienced during the cannon launch of the laser-guided
Copperhead shaped charge warhead, anti-armor tank-killer projectile. The electronics drastically reduced the Copperhead
production cost by $65,000,000 on the first production order. For this achievement,
I was one of five Martin Marietta employees throughout the Corporation to be
awarded the Jefferson Cup in Washington, D.C., in 1977.
