The First Glossary of Guided Missile Terms, First Edition, 1948, Illustrating the Convergence of Physics, Computers, and Propulsion Science

Glossary of Guided Missile Terms

First Edition

[Early Computers] [ Space and Aviation] The National Military Establishment, Research and Development Board, Committee on Guided Missiles. Glossary of Guided Missile Terms. Washington, D.C.: Research and Development Board, 15 September 1948. 8vo. 72 pages. Original staple bound brown printed wrappers. Issued at the dawn of the Cold War and only one year after the establishment of the U.S. Department of Defense, this glossary codifies the earliest official vocabulary of American missile science. Rockets took to the air centuries ago when gunpowder was invented in China. But the control systems of World War II were required to transform rockets into accurate guided missiles. The earliest guidance system was the crude WWII Mischgerät on Germany’s V-2 rockets. It was right after WWII that the United States expanded on that science and developed its own guided missiles. This Glossary dates from that early era. The foreword notes that the work “makes no attempt to replace general or scientific dictionaries” but instead defines terms newly coined in the guided-missile field general words that acquired specialized meaning in missile engineering, and technical terms needing precise reference for those engaged in rapidly developing weapons programs. Prepared by an ad hoc committee of the Research and Development Board, many of whose personnel were involved in wartime rocket research and in postwar programs integrating German V-2 technology, the glossary reflects the standardization efforts essential to early aerospace coordination. Terms such as "aeropulse", "afterburning", "adiabatic", and "automatic gain control" illustrate the convergence of physics, electronics, propulsion science, and military engineering at a moment when guided missiles were transitioning from experimental prototypes to operational systems. The preface attributes the glossary’s origins to a classified 1947 monograph prepared at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, making this glossary the very first published on the subject. This Glossary demonstrates the urgent push for unified technical language among government laboratories and private contractors in order to push for new innovations in the field.
The interior includes a foreword, preface, and a comprehensive alphabetical list of missile-related terminology. As an artifact produced months after the National Security Act reshaped American defense infrastructure, the glossary embodies the bureaucratic, scientific, and linguistic consolidation necessary to support early guidance systems, jet and rocket propulsion, and standardized testing protocols. Wrappers show light edge wear with a chip at the lower right front corner; toning to pages but text clean and binding tight. Signed on the cover, likely by a former military or laboratory user. Overall very good condition.

Item #22915

Price: $1,850.00