Background
Smelt, Ronald was born on December 4, 1913 in Houghton Le Spring, Durham, England. Arrived in the United States, 1948, naturalized, 1955. Son of Henry Wilson and Florence (Bradburn) Smelt.
Smelt, Ronald was born on December 4, 1913 in Houghton Le Spring, Durham, England. Arrived in the United States, 1948, naturalized, 1955. Son of Henry Wilson and Florence (Bradburn) Smelt.
Bachelor of Arts, King's College, Cambridge (England) University, 1935; Master of Arts, King's College, Cambridge (England) University, 1939; Doctor of Philosophy, Stanford, 1961.
With, Royal Aircraft Establishment, 1935-1948;
chief high speed flight, Royal Aircraft Establishment, 1940-1945;
chief guided weapons department, Royal Aircraft Establishment, 1945-1948;
deputy chief aeroballistic research department, United States Navy Ordnance Laboratory, 1948-1950;
chief gas dynamics facility, Agricultural Research Organization, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee, 1950-1957;
director research and development, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (missile systems division), Sunnyvale, California, 1958-1959;
manager, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (Discoverer Satellite system), 1959-1960;
chief scientist, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (Discoverer Satellite system), 1960-1962;
vice president, general manager space programs division, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (Discoverer Satellite system), 1962-1963;
vice president, chief scientist, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (Discoverer Satellite system), 1963-1978. Guggenheim lecturer International Congress Aero. Science, 1978; Member of committee on space vehicle aerodynamics National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1965-1966, chairman research advising committee on space vehicles, 1966-1973, chairman research and technical advisory council, 1973-1977.
Chairman technical advisory board Department Transportation, 1970-1974. Member engineering advising committee Stanford University, 1988-1989. Advising committee National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Stanford Center for TurbulenceRsch.
Fellow: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (honorary. Director-at-large 1966-1968, president 1969, 1970), American Astronautical Society, Royal Aeronautical Society (London), Cambridge Philosophical Society. Member: National Academy Engineering.
Married Marie Anita Collings, November 2, 1940 (deceased May 1964). 1 child David; married Jean Stuart, January 15, 1965.