Thomas Rogers
From The Space Library
Thomas Rogers
Thomas Rogers is a physicist and the founding chairman of his family's Sophron Foundation. He founded and led R&D laboratories at the US Air Force Cambridge Research Center, working on US, Canadian and NATO air defense, and radio guidance for the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile. He spearheaded the building of the Needles Belt in Earth orbit at MIT, which was first to transmit television signals by satellite. He worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; conceptualized the first global satellite communications system and oversaw its acquisition; conceived the use of space to provide surface and near-surface navigation and position-fixing services, and initiated the resulting DOD R&D. He was the first head of the Space Transportation Association, leading efforts to increase the market for public space travel. A member of several advisory boards and panels, he has been deeply involved in the development of space policy.
