On January 10, 1946, a small group of Army scientists at Camp Evans in Belmar, New Jersey successfully bounced radio waves off the moon--and the world has never been the same. Today marks the 77th anniversary of Project Diana.
The following passage is taken from an essay appearing in my 2021 book, To the Moon and Back: Essays on the Life and Times of Project Diana. My father, E. King Stodola, was Chief Scientist on Project Diana, and Jack DeWitt, mentioned below, was his boss. Most of the essay, which was written in celebration of an earlier anniversary, is devoted to the practical consequences of the successful moonbounce--military uses, scientific implications, advances in communication. In the last few lines I attempt to grapple with some of the more intangible effects of Project Diana on the American psyche:
The following passage is taken from an essay appearing in my 2021 book, To the Moon and Back: Essays on the Life and Times of Project Diana. My father, E. King Stodola, was Chief Scientist on Project Diana, and Jack DeWitt, mentioned below, was his boss. Most of the essay, which was written in celebration of an earlier anniversary, is devoted to the practical consequences of the successful moonbounce--military uses, scientific implications, advances in communication. In the last few lines I attempt to grapple with some of the more intangible effects of Project Diana on the American psyche:
a contemporary explainer Coming as it did on the heels of America's contribution to the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II, based on our "can do" spirit and technological expertise, [Project Diana] was so to speak the frosting on the cake, suggesting a host of peaceful as well as military applications for our capabilities. Since previous moon bounce efforts (including our own) had failed, and since many reputable scientists believed the ionosphere could not be penetrated by radio waves, Project Diana burnished our self-image as a people who could do the impossible. Because the team basically improvised, modifying equipment they already had, it reinforced our faith in our talent as engineers and tinkerers. Finally, it provided a cultural template for subsequent space exploration, initiating the tradition of naming such projects after ancient Greek and Roman gods like Mercury and Apollo and glorifying (in the person of Jack DeWitt) the cowboy hero with the "right stuff" later exemplified by American astronauts.
Every country creates a mythology about itself that helps to form its national identity and make its people feel as though they are part of something larger than themselves. What aligns with the mythology is selected; what doesn't tends to be winnowed out. The postwar years were a time when America was starting to flex its muscles on a global scale, and its sense of itself was rapidly evolving to accommodate these developments. Project Diana was perfectly poised to be part of this process. For a variety of reasons, it is not so easy these days to feel exceptional on the global stage, which is probably why so many Americans harbor nostalgia for what in retrospect seem to them to have been simpler, better times.
Every country creates a mythology about itself that helps to form its national identity and make its people feel as though they are part of something larger than themselves. What aligns with the mythology is selected; what doesn't tends to be winnowed out. The postwar years were a time when America was starting to flex its muscles on a global scale, and its sense of itself was rapidly evolving to accommodate these developments. Project Diana was perfectly poised to be part of this process. For a variety of reasons, it is not so easy these days to feel exceptional on the global stage, which is probably why so many Americans harbor nostalgia for what in retrospect seem to them to have been simpler, better times.
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