United States Naval Research Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy
and the United States Marine Corps
and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison
. In a May 1915 editorial piece in the New York Times Magazine, Edison wrote; "The Government should maintain a great research laboratory... In this could be developed...all the technique of military
and naval
progression without any vast expense." In 1946, upon the establishment of the Office of Naval Research
, NRL was placed under the direction of the Chief of Naval Research. NRL in its current form was created in 1992 after the Navy consolidated existing R&D facilities to form a single corporate laboratory. The NRL's budget was approximately $1.2 billion per year in 2008.
The NRL, the first modern research institution created within the United States Navy, began operations in 1923.
's published statement in May, 1915, " The Government should maintain a great research laboratory... In this could be developed... all the technique of military and naval progression without any vast expense". This statement addressed concerns about World War I in the United States.
Edison then agreed to serve as the head of the Naval Consulting Board that consised of civilans who had achieved expertise. The focus of the Naval Consulting Board was as advisor to the U.S. Navy pertaining to science and technology. The board brought forward a plan to create a modern facility for the Navy. In 1916 Congress allocated $1.5 million for implementation. However, construction was delayed until 1920 because of the war and internal disagreements within the board.
The Laboratory's two original divisions - Radio and Sound - performed research in the fields of high-frequency radio and underwater sound propagation . They produced communications equipment, direction-finding devices, sonar sets, and perhaps most significant of all, the first practical radar
equipment built in the United States. They performed basic research, participating, for example, in the discovery and early exploration of the ionosphere
. Moreover, the NRL was able to work gradually toward its goal of becoming a broadly based research facility. By the beginning of World War II
, five new divisions had been added: Physical Optics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Mechanics and Electricity, and Internal Communications.
, radar
, sonar
- was developed. Countermeasures were devised. New lubricants were produced, as were antifouling paints, luminous identification tapes, and a sea marker to help save survivors of disasters at sea. A thermal diffusion process was conceived and used to supply some of the U-235 isotope needed for one of the first atomic bombs. Also, many new devices that developed from booming wartime industry were type tested and then certified as reliable for the Fleet.
(ONR) as a liaison with and supporter of basic and applied scientific research, it was also encouraging NRL to broaden its scope and become, in effect, its corporate research laboratory. There was a transfer of NRL to the administrative oversight of ONR and a parallel shift of the Laboratory's research emphasis to one of long-range basic and applied investigation in a broad range of the physical sciences.
However, rapid expansion during the war had left NRL improperly structured to address long-term Navy requirements. One major task - neither easily nor rapidly accomplished - was that of reshaping and coordinating research. This was achieved by transforming a group of largely autonomous scientific divisions into a unified institution with a clear mission and a fully coordinated research program. The first attempt at reorganization vested power in an executive committee composed of all the division superintendents. This committee was impracticably large, so in 1949, a civilian director of research was named and given full authority over the program. Positions for associate directors were added in 1954.
, the areas of study at the Laboratory have included basic research concerning the Navy's environments of Earth, sea, sky, and space. Investigations have ranged from monitoring the Sun's behavior, to analyzing marine atmospheric conditions, to measuring parameters of the deep oceans. Detection and communication capabilities have benefited by research that has used new portions of the electromagnetic spectrum
, extended ranges to outer space and provided a means of transferring information reliably and securely, even through massive jamming
. Submarine
habitability, lubricants, shipbuilding materials, firefighting, and the study of sound in the sea have remained primary concerns, to which have been added recent explorations within the fields of virtual reality
, superconductivity
, biomolecular science and engineering, and nanotechnology
. The Laboratory has performed space research - from atmospheric probes with captured V-2 rocket
s, through the direction of the Vanguard project
(America's first satellite program), to inventing and developing the first satellite prototypes of the Global Positioning System
(GPS). Today, NRL is the Navy's lead laboratory in space systems research, fire research, tactical electronic warfare, microelectronic devices and artificial intelligence
.
The consolidation in 1992 of NRL and the Naval Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research Laboratory, with centers in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and Monterrey, California, added critical new strengths to the Laboratory. NRL now is additionally the lead Navy center for research in ocean and atmospheric sciences, with special strengths in physical oceanography, marine geosciences, ocean acoustics, marine meteorology, and remote oceanic and atmospheric sensing. Although not abandoning its interests in blue-water operations and research, the NRL has scrutinized defending American interests in the world's littoral regions.
Additionally, scientific developments in submarine habitability, synthetic oil
and lubricants, shipbuilding materials obtained through research in fracture mechanics
, firefighting through the development of Aqueous Film-Forming fire fighting foam (AFFF), and the study of sound in the sea have remained steadfast concerns to naval operations, to which have been added recent explorations within the fields of virtual reality, superconductivity, biomolecular science and engineering, and nanotechnology.
The Laboratory has performed research into space-from atmospheric probes with captured V-2 rockets, through direction of the Vanguard project (America's first satellite program), invented and developed the first satellite prototypes of the Global Positioning System
(GPS). Today, NRL is the Navy's primary laboratory in space systems research, as well as in fire research, tactical electronic warfare, microelectronic devices, and artificial intelligence.
In 2010, the Laboratory employed its resources in researching efforts on new Navy strategic interests. While continuing its programs of basic research that help the Navy anticipate and meet future needs, NRL moved technology from concept to operational use when high-priority, short term needs have arisen-for pathogen detection, lightweight body armor, contaminant transport modeling, and communications interoperability, for example.
and radar
, the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) and Dragon Eye
, a robotic airborne sensor system. The laboratory first proposed a nuclear submarine
in 1939, and developed over-the-horizon radar in the late 1950s. The details of GRAB 1
, deployed by NRL as the nation's first intelligence satellite
, were recently declassified. The laboratory is responsible for the identification, friend or foe (IFF) system. In the late 1960s, NRL researched low-temperature physics, achieving for the first time a temperature within one millionth of a degree of absolute zero in 1967. In 1985, two scientists at the laboratory, Herbert A. Hauptman
and Jerome Karle
, won the Nobel Prize
for work in molecular structure analysis. The projects developed by the laboratory often become mainstream applications without public awareness of the developer; an example in computer science is onion routing
. The Timation
system, developed at NRL, provided the basis for the Global Positioning System
.
A few of the laboratory's current specialties include plasma physics, space physics
, materials science
, and tactical electronic warfare
.
, serves as the command and control center of the Laboratory and is run by the Commander of the NRL.
In addition to management functions, the Directorate also manages the Institute for Nanoscience, founded in April 2001 as a multidisciplinary research at the intersections of the fields of materials, electronics and biology. Scientific Development Squadron ONE (VXS-1
), located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River
, Maryland, which provides airborne research facilities to NRL as well as other agencies of the US Government, is also run out of the Executive Directorate.
and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, carries out a range of materials research with the aim of better understanding of the materials in order to develop improved and advanced materials for use by the US Navy. There are seven research divisions: Laboratory for the Structure of Matter, Chemistry, Material Science & Technology, Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, Plasma Physics, Electronics Science & Technology, and the Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering. Additionally, the Directorate also operates the National Synchrotron Light Source
at the Brookhaven National Laboratory
and the test and training platform the ex-USS Shadwell
in Alabama.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
. In a May 1915 editorial piece in the New York Times Magazine, Edison wrote; "The Government should maintain a great research laboratory... In this could be developed...all the technique of military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
progression without any vast expense." In 1946, upon the establishment of the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
, NRL was placed under the direction of the Chief of Naval Research. NRL in its current form was created in 1992 after the Navy consolidated existing R&D facilities to form a single corporate laboratory. The NRL's budget was approximately $1.2 billion per year in 2008.
History
Thomas Edison's Vision
The Naval Research Laboratroy came into existence from an inspired idea that originated from Thomas EdisonThomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
's published statement in May, 1915, " The Government should maintain a great research laboratory... In this could be developed... all the technique of military and naval progression without any vast expense". This statement addressed concerns about World War I in the United States.
Edison then agreed to serve as the head of the Naval Consulting Board that consised of civilans who had achieved expertise. The focus of the Naval Consulting Board was as advisor to the U.S. Navy pertaining to science and technology. The board brought forward a plan to create a modern facility for the Navy. In 1916 Congress allocated $1.5 million for implementation. However, construction was delayed until 1920 because of the war and internal disagreements within the board.
The Laboratory's two original divisions - Radio and Sound - performed research in the fields of high-frequency radio and underwater sound propagation . They produced communications equipment, direction-finding devices, sonar sets, and perhaps most significant of all, the first practical radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
equipment built in the United States. They performed basic research, participating, for example, in the discovery and early exploration of the ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
. Moreover, the NRL was able to work gradually toward its goal of becoming a broadly based research facility. By the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, five new divisions had been added: Physical Optics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Mechanics and Electricity, and Internal Communications.
World War II Years and Growth
Total employment at the NRL jumped from 396 in 1941 to 4400 in 1946, expenditures from $1.7 million to $13.7 million, the number of buildings from 23 to 67, and the number of projects from 200 to about 900. During World War II, scientific activities necessarily were concentrated almost entirely on applied research. New electronics equipment - radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
- was developed. Countermeasures were devised. New lubricants were produced, as were antifouling paints, luminous identification tapes, and a sea marker to help save survivors of disasters at sea. A thermal diffusion process was conceived and used to supply some of the U-235 isotope needed for one of the first atomic bombs. Also, many new devices that developed from booming wartime industry were type tested and then certified as reliable for the Fleet.
NRL Reorganizes
As a result of the scientific accomplishments of the war years, the United States emerged into the postwar era determined to consolidate its wartime gains in science and technology and to preserve the working relationship between its armed forces and the scientific community. While the Navy was establishing the Office of Naval ResearchOffice of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
(ONR) as a liaison with and supporter of basic and applied scientific research, it was also encouraging NRL to broaden its scope and become, in effect, its corporate research laboratory. There was a transfer of NRL to the administrative oversight of ONR and a parallel shift of the Laboratory's research emphasis to one of long-range basic and applied investigation in a broad range of the physical sciences.
However, rapid expansion during the war had left NRL improperly structured to address long-term Navy requirements. One major task - neither easily nor rapidly accomplished - was that of reshaping and coordinating research. This was achieved by transforming a group of largely autonomous scientific divisions into a unified institution with a clear mission and a fully coordinated research program. The first attempt at reorganization vested power in an executive committee composed of all the division superintendents. This committee was impracticably large, so in 1949, a civilian director of research was named and given full authority over the program. Positions for associate directors were added in 1954.
Scope of NRL
Since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the areas of study at the Laboratory have included basic research concerning the Navy's environments of Earth, sea, sky, and space. Investigations have ranged from monitoring the Sun's behavior, to analyzing marine atmospheric conditions, to measuring parameters of the deep oceans. Detection and communication capabilities have benefited by research that has used new portions of the electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
, extended ranges to outer space and provided a means of transferring information reliably and securely, even through massive jamming
Radio jamming
Radio jamming is the transmission of radio signals that disrupt communications by decreasing the signal to noise ratio. Unintentional jamming occurs when an operator transmits on a busy frequency without first checking whether it is in use, or without being able to hear stations using the frequency...
. Submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
habitability, lubricants, shipbuilding materials, firefighting, and the study of sound in the sea have remained primary concerns, to which have been added recent explorations within the fields of virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
, superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
, biomolecular science and engineering, and nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
. The Laboratory has performed space research - from atmospheric probes with captured V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
s, through the direction of the Vanguard project
Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory , which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida....
(America's first satellite program), to inventing and developing the first satellite prototypes of the Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS). Today, NRL is the Navy's lead laboratory in space systems research, fire research, tactical electronic warfare, microelectronic devices and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
.
The consolidation in 1992 of NRL and the Naval Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research Laboratory, with centers in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and Monterrey, California, added critical new strengths to the Laboratory. NRL now is additionally the lead Navy center for research in ocean and atmospheric sciences, with special strengths in physical oceanography, marine geosciences, ocean acoustics, marine meteorology, and remote oceanic and atmospheric sensing. Although not abandoning its interests in blue-water operations and research, the NRL has scrutinized defending American interests in the world's littoral regions.
Since WWII
Since World War II, the Laboratory has conducted basic and applied research pertaining to the Navy's environments of Earth, sea, sky, space, and cyberspace. Investigations have ranged from monitoring the Sun's behavior, to analyzing marine atmospheric conditions, to measuring parameters of the deep oceans. Detection and communication capabilities have benefited by research that has utilized previously unused portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, extended ranges to outer space, and provided a means of transferring information reliably and securely, even through massive jamming.Additionally, scientific developments in submarine habitability, synthetic oil
Synthetic oil
Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made . Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials...
and lubricants, shipbuilding materials obtained through research in fracture mechanics
Fracture mechanics
Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials. It uses methods of analytical solid mechanics to calculate the driving force on a crack and those of experimental solid mechanics to characterize the material's resistance to fracture.In...
, firefighting through the development of Aqueous Film-Forming fire fighting foam (AFFF), and the study of sound in the sea have remained steadfast concerns to naval operations, to which have been added recent explorations within the fields of virtual reality, superconductivity, biomolecular science and engineering, and nanotechnology.
The Laboratory has performed research into space-from atmospheric probes with captured V-2 rockets, through direction of the Vanguard project (America's first satellite program), invented and developed the first satellite prototypes of the Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS). Today, NRL is the Navy's primary laboratory in space systems research, as well as in fire research, tactical electronic warfare, microelectronic devices, and artificial intelligence.
In 2010, the Laboratory employed its resources in researching efforts on new Navy strategic interests. While continuing its programs of basic research that help the Navy anticipate and meet future needs, NRL moved technology from concept to operational use when high-priority, short term needs have arisen-for pathogen detection, lightweight body armor, contaminant transport modeling, and communications interoperability, for example.
Research
NRL's has rearched the development of gamma-ray radiographyRadiography
Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By using the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed which displays areas of different density and composition....
and radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) and Dragon Eye
Dragon Eye
The Dragon Eye Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a small reconnaissance UAV developed by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory for use by the U.S. Marine Corps....
, a robotic airborne sensor system. The laboratory first proposed a nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
in 1939, and developed over-the-horizon radar in the late 1950s. The details of GRAB 1
Grab
Grab may refer to:* Grab , a mechanical device* Grab , a screenshot application* Grabs * Hermann Grab , Bohemian writer of German language- Places :* Grab , Kosovo* Grab , Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, deployed by NRL as the nation's first intelligence satellite
Spy satellite
A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....
, were recently declassified. The laboratory is responsible for the identification, friend or foe (IFF) system. In the late 1960s, NRL researched low-temperature physics, achieving for the first time a temperature within one millionth of a degree of absolute zero in 1967. In 1985, two scientists at the laboratory, Herbert A. Hauptman
Herbert A. Hauptman
Herbert Aaron Hauptman was an American mathematician and Nobel laureate. He pioneered and developed a mathematical method that has changed the whole field of chemistry and opened a new era in research in determination of molecular structures of crystallized materials...
and Jerome Karle
Jerome Karle
Jerome Karle, born Jerome Karfunkel is an American physical chemist. Jointly with Herbert A. Hauptman, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1985, for the direct analysis of crystal structures using X-ray scattering techniques.-Early life and education:Karle was born in New York City on...
, won the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
for work in molecular structure analysis. The projects developed by the laboratory often become mainstream applications without public awareness of the developer; an example in computer science is onion routing
Onion routing
Onion routing is a technique for anonymous communication over a computer network. Messages are repeatedly encrypted and then sent through several network nodes called onion routers. Like someone unpeeling an onion, each onion router removes a layer of encryption to uncover routing instructions, and...
. The Timation
Timation
The Timation satellites were conceived, developed, and launched by the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. beginning in 1964. The concept of Timation was to broadcast an accurate time reference for use as a ranging signal to receivers on the ground. On May 31, 1967 the Timation-1...
system, developed at NRL, provided the basis for the Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
.
A few of the laboratory's current specialties include plasma physics, space physics
Space physics
Space physics, also known as space plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the universe. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of topics, including the sun, solar wind, planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres, auroras, cosmic rays, and synchrotron radiation...
, materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
, and tactical electronic warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
.
Organization
The laboratory is divided into four research directorates, one funding directorate, and one executive directorate. At the end of fiscal year 2006, NRL employed 2643 persons - 35 officers, 76 enlisted, and 2532 civilians. In the research staff, there are 806 employees with doctorate degrees, 320 with master's degrees, and 442 with bachelor's degrees.Executive Directorate
The Executive Directorate, located in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, serves as the command and control center of the Laboratory and is run by the Commander of the NRL.
In addition to management functions, the Directorate also manages the Institute for Nanoscience, founded in April 2001 as a multidisciplinary research at the intersections of the fields of materials, electronics and biology. Scientific Development Squadron ONE (VXS-1
VXS-1
Scientific Development Squadron ONE is a U.S. Navy military support squadron that conducts numerous single-aircraft deployments around the world in support of a wide range of scientific research projects.-Mission statement:...
), located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S...
, Maryland, which provides airborne research facilities to NRL as well as other agencies of the US Government, is also run out of the Executive Directorate.
Business Operations Directorate
The Business Operations Directorate, located in Washington, D.C., provides program management for the business programs which support the scientific directorates of NRL. It provides contracting, financial management and supply expertise to the scientific projects.Systems Directorate
The Systems Directorate, headquartered in Washington, D.C. with locations in Chesapeake Beach, Tilghman Island, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, is responsible for performing a range of activities from basic research through engineering development to expand the operational capabilities of the US Navy. There are four research divisions: Radar, Information Technology, Optical Sciences, and Tactical Electronic Warfare.Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate
The Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate, headquartered in Washington, D.C. with additional locations at Naval Air Station Key WestNaval Air Station Key West
Naval Air Station Key West , is a naval air station and military airport located on Boca Chica Key, four miles east of the central business district of Key West, Florida, United States....
and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, carries out a range of materials research with the aim of better understanding of the materials in order to develop improved and advanced materials for use by the US Navy. There are seven research divisions: Laboratory for the Structure of Matter, Chemistry, Material Science & Technology, Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, Plasma Physics, Electronics Science & Technology, and the Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering. Additionally, the Directorate also operates the National Synchrotron Light Source
National Synchrotron Light Source
The National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York is a national user research facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy...
at the Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
and the test and training platform the ex-USS Shadwell
USS Shadwell (LSD-15)
USS Shadwell was a in the United States Navy. She was named after Shadwell plantation, Albemarle County, Virginia, the birthplace and early home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States.Initially authorized under the Lend-Lease Act...
in Alabama.
Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate
The Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional locations at Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, and Monterey, California, performs research in the fields of acoustics, remote sensing, oceanography, marine geosciences, marine meteorology, and space science. There are six research divisions: Acoustics, Remote Sensing, Oceanography, Marine Geosciences, Marine Meteorology, and Space Science. Additionally, the Oceanography division operates at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi as well as the Extreme-Ultraviolet and X-Ray Calibration Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York.Naval Center for Space Technology
The mission of the Center for Space Technology, headquartered in Washington, D.C. with additional sites at Pomonkey, Maryland, Blossom Point, Maryland and the Midway Research Center, Virginia, is to preserve and enhance a strong space technology base and provide expert assistance in the development and acquisition of space systems for naval missions. There are two research divisions: Space Systems Development and Spacecraft Engineering.See also
- History of radarHistory of radarThe history of radar starts with experiments by Heinrich Hertz in the late 19th century that showed that radio waves were reflected by metallic objects. This possibility was suggested in James Clerk Maxwell's seminal work on electromagnetism...
- Robert Morris PageRobert Morris PageRobert Morris Page was an American physicist who was a leading figure in the development of radar technology. Later, Page served as the Director of Research for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.-Life and career:...
one of the main American radar scientists
- Robert Morris Page
- Interactive Scenario BuilderInteractive Scenario BuilderInteractive Scenario Builder is a modeling and simulation, three-dimensional application developed by the Advanced Tactical Environmental Simulation Team at the Naval Research Laboratory that aids in understanding the radio frequency environment.- Uses :*RF Tactical Decision...
- NRLMSISE-00NRLMSISE-00NRLMSISE-00 is an empirical, global model of the Earth's atmosphere from ground to space. It models the temperatures and densities of the atmosphere's components. A primary use of this model is to aid predictions of satellite orbital decay due to atmospheric drag...
- SIMDISSIMDISUnder direction of the Office of Naval Research, the Naval Research Laboratory’s Code 5770 produced the SIMDIS 3-D Analysis and Display Toolset to the US Department of Defense community. SIMDIS provides support for analysis and display of test and training mission data to more than 4000 users...
- Clementine spacecraft
- National Research Libraries AllianceNational research libraries allianceThe National Research Libraries Alliance was formed in 1997 by four US Government research libraries in order to "provide their research communities with a common core of scientific information." To this end, the libraries of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, National Institute of Standards...
- Fleet Electronic Warfare Center (FEWC)Fleet Electronic Warfare Center (FEWC)The Fleet Electronic Warfare Center is an organization established by Naval Network Warfare Command in 2008 to be the center of gravity for US Navy fleet electronic warfare operational and tactical issues...
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
- Office of Naval ResearchOffice of Naval ResearchThe Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
- University-National Oceanographic Laboratory SystemUniversity-National Oceanographic Laboratory SystemThe University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System is a group of academic institutions and National Laboratories organized in the United States to coordinate research vessel use for federally funded ocean research...
- List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy