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commando

(Encyclopedia)commando, small, elite military raiding and assault unit or soldier. Although the word was coined in the Boer War (1899–1902), the role is as old as battles themselves. In 1940, when the British org...

Clarke, Arthur C.

(Encyclopedia)Clarke, Arthur C. (Sir Arthur Charles Clarke), 1917–2008, British science fiction writer. During World War II he served as a radar instructor and aviator in the Royal Air Force. After the war he obt...

Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich

(Encyclopedia)Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich, 1907–66, Soviet rocket designer. His role as chief designer of the Soviet space program was revealed only after his death. After he successfully launched two intercontinen...

direction finder

(Encyclopedia)direction finder, electronic device used to determine the position of a ship or aircraft. In a simple direction finder a radio receiver is equipped with a revolving directional antenna. The antenna re...

Gansu

(Encyclopedia)Gansu or Kansu both: gänˈso͞oˈ [key], province, 141,000 sq mi (365,284 sq km), NW China. The capital is ...

Epimetheus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Epimetheus, in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn XI (or S11), Epimetheus is an irregularly shaped (nonspherical) body measuring about 89 mi (144...

space science

(Encyclopedia)space science, body of scientific knowledge as it relates to space exploration; it is sometimes also called astronautics. Space science draws on the conventional sciences of physics, chemistry, biolog...

GPS

(Encyclopedia)GPS: see navigation satellite.

Global Positioning System

(Encyclopedia)Global Positioning System: see navigation satellite. ...

photogrammetry

(Encyclopedia)photogrammetry: see aerial and satellite photography. ...