Frank Blitzer

Frank Blitzer received his B.S.E.E from Purdue University with a second major in mathematics. Upon graduation he continued his studies toward the Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering. Frank spent fifty years working for several major companies in the aerospace industry.

Frank worked on the design of the B-52 bomber, missiles, and space systems. Initially, he concentrated on inertial guidance, communications, and surveillance systems. He contributed to the design of such systems as the Lacrosse and Patriot Missiles, the APOLLO manned space program, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. During that time, he developed and patented several systems for the guidance and control of missiles and space systems, pattern recognition systems, and surveillance systems. Frank contributed publications in these subjects as well. He rose to the level of program manager. In 1992, he received the Honeywell Top Performer Award.

I decided to begin writing this book when my two boys, in their younger teen years, spent many evenings gazing at the stars and planets. They were avidly interested in star-gazing, spending many nights lying on their backs on the hood of a neighbor's car, concentrating on what they saw—without a telescope—while I struggled at work to develop a star-tracker for missile guidance applications! This book, concluded many years later, would have helped them greatly.