September 18 In Patent History
Exploring this day in patent history with IDiyas. Today is September 18 and on this day in 1984, an imaging X-ray spectrometer was patented – US4472728A by George Edward Alcorn, Jr.
George Edward Alcorn, Jr. is a pioneer African-American physicist and inventor who worked primarily for IBM and NASA. He invented over 20 major inventions and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
While he was at NASA he invented the x-ray spectrometer. This device uses the thermomigration of aluminum to see what elements are present on the surface of Mercury. He received both a United States and a Japanese patent for this invention. The X-ray spectrometer works by using adjoining rectangular-shaped cells. The cells are created by laser drilling holes and diffusing phosphorus.
The X-ray spectrometer is used to determine what elements are present and how abundant they are on the surface of many planets. Also known as the XRS, the X-ray spectrometer only can provide information about 1 mm of Mercury’s surface. X-rays from Mercury are produced by solar flares. The XRS helps scientists understand what materials are composed of when they can no longer be broken down.
George Edward Alcorn Jr. was one of the most productive inventors to contribute to NASA. Throughout his career, he invented over twenty helpful inventions that we use today. His x-ray spectrometer earned him multiple awards and gained him a spot in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. His contributions have been helpful to many scientists from all over the world.
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About The Author
Angelina Kushnarova
Angelina Kushnarova (Sverediuk) was born in Ukraine. She graduated from Ternopil Medical University with a specialization in Medicine and completed an internship in Radiology at Lviv University. She worked as a Radiologist, while also working as a web developer.