Navy League Awards Lockheed Martin Fellow John Stetson 2007 Albert Michelson Award at Exposition

The Navy League of the United States presented its 2007 Albert A. Michelson award for outstanding scientific, technical achievement to Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors Fellow John Stetson at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition banquet on Wednesday, April 4 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

John Stetson has been a key contributor to the early development of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense capability. His two decades of experience in the design, development and implementation of surveillance sensor, rocket, spacecraft, precision machine, and guidance navigation and control systems earned Stetson the role lead systems engineer. In that capacity he developed several critical algorithms that enabled the hit-kill technology of the early Light Exo Atmospheric Projectile Intercept Program to work with the current Aegis Weapon System and Standard Missile-3. Stetson is currently working with advanced technology organizations such as Navy laboratories, universities, technology companies and small businesses to identify breakthrough technologies for use in Aegis BMD.

“John is unequivocally one of the significant engineers responsible for the success of the Aegis Ballistic Missile system,” said John A. Panneton, National President of the Navy League. “His contributions to the program have brought the Aegis ballistic missile defense capability from testing at sea to reality, with Aegis ships now on patrol around the world in defense of the United States, its friends and allies.”

The Navy League’s Albert A. Michelson award is named for the 1873 Naval Academy graduate and recipient of the Nobel Physics prize for his work calculating the speed of light. The award is presented to a civilian scientist from the Navy League corporate membership for scientific or technical achievement that results in a significant improvement in the strength of the U.S. maritime forces or the enhancement of America’s industrial technology base.