The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has selected its Pioneer Class of 2002 - three people who made significant and lasting contributions to the discipline of national reconnaissance. The three selectees are Dr. Vance Coffman, Mr. Lee Hammarstrom, and retired Air Force Colonel Robert Paulson.
The new pioneers were honored in a ceremony today at NRO headquarters where plaques will be permanently displayed in their honor. They were selected by Under Secretary of the Air Force and NRO Director Peter Teets based on recommendations from a special selection board, and will join 50 pioneers selected over the past two years.
Dr. Coffman led the development of a new satellite attitude control capability needed to provide major improvements in producing large quantities of geographically accurate, highly-detailed maps from satellite-collected images. His career in national reconnaissance spanned from 1971 to the present.
Mr. Hammarstrom's concepts and developments for satellite, ground station, and processing systems greatly improved the accuracy, timeliness, and volume of NRO ELINT products. Hammarstrom was named Head of the NRO's Technology Office and the NRO's Chief Scientist. His career in national reconnaissance spanned from 1962-2002.
Colonel Paulson served as the Air Force Program Manager for a multi-agency IMINT satellite system program. He successfully led his program office and operations team through the critical design, development, and testing of the system, and developed its complex ground architecture. His career in national reconnaissance spanned from 1982-1988.
