Background
He was born on 10 December 1921 in Ossian, Iowa.
He was born on 10 December 1921 in Ossian, Iowa.
Mayer graduated from the University of Iowa in 1943.
During World World War II, he served in the United States Navy at the United States Naval Research Laboratory where he worked on the first submarine periscope radar. He received a Master"s degree from the University of Maryland in 1951 studying electrical engineering. He died on 19 November 2005 of congestive heart failure at his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Returned to the NRL, he used the 50 ft (15m) radio telescope for his earlier work.
In 1958, publication of microwave measurements of Venus raised the possibility that the surface of the planet was extremely hot. lieutenant triggered an international effort to measure and analyze the microwave spectrum of Venus.
After the measurements of Venus, Mayer measured the surface temperature of Mars and atmospheric temperature of Jupiter. A career highlight was the award of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award in 1969.
He wrote more than 75 scientific articles
Isaac Asimov quoted Mayer extensively in The Secret of the Universe. Mayer spent his entire 36-year career at the NRL and became the head of radio astronomy branch, retiring in 1980.