Al Gross Profile

Pioneer of Radio and PCS Looks at its Past and Future

By Wayne Mishler

and he man who pioneered today's tele- expired long ago." And then he laughs. "Oh the top engineers, scientists, technicians informa- IIcommunications revolution may be well, I'm happy picking oranges in my back other professionals in the space and says Orbital president and one of America' s greatest unsung yard." tion industries," "Orbital is open- heroes. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Gross today CEO David W. Thompson, for an increasing num- Al Gross, amateur radio W8PAL, inven- lives a modest life in sunny Arizona, where he ing the doors to space and defense cus- tor, electrical engineer, visionary, industry continues his work in electronics as a senior ber of commercial, scientific domestic and international statesman, is the kind of man you would staff electrical engineer with the Orbital Sci- tomers in both course includes Al expect to find sitting in robes on the peak of a ences Corporation. At age 79, he is active in markets." That lineup of mystic mountain, speaking pearls of wisdom. developing space systems, launch vehicles, Gross, who characteristically is not privileged When he speaks, people listen. And things satellites and space sensors for a world-wide to discuss the details of his work. happen. He has been the spark and the inspi- market. Some of the products with which he is "My current work in satellite launching ration for two-way radio, personal pagers, involved include the delta -winged Pegasus systems mandates keeping out of the lime- cordless and cellular telephones, satellite tele- launch vehicle, the medium payload Taurus light," Gross says. He' s been saying things communications, military weaponry, and launch vehicle, smaller suborbital rockets, like that since World War II, with good rea- more. For most of his life, Al Gross has been and the next generation X-34 reusable launch son. so far out on the leading edge of technology vehicle. Gross worked in secret to produce technol- that he has not been privileged to talk about his "With the creativity of more than 3,000 of ogy that helped America and its allies win the achievements. To do so would risk compro- war. And when the war ended, the obscure mise of patents or military intelligence - shop in Youngstown, Ohio, where he pro- intelligence as in the cloak and dagger spy duced his J/E "spy" radios for the OSS (the game. Yes, there is a clandestine side of Al forerunner of today's Central Intelligence for security Gross. Agency) was torn down, probably was There is an old axiom that says the "squeaky reasons. His work with the spy radios wheel" gets the grease. Al Gross has never reduced to papers in top secret government been a "squeaky wheel." It is not his nature. files. "We to joke that OSS stood for Oh So He' s a doer and not a talker. And perhaps used there because of this, although you'll never hear it Secret," he says. "Not long after the war Ladd playing the from Gross, America has never paid - nor was a spy movie with Alan could it ever pay the debt it owes him. main part." - the "My wife was reminding me just the other The end of the war, however, was just day how much money we might have if my beginning of this inventor' s career, and of his contributions to civilian and military commu- patents were still in force," he says. "They vehicle. Pegasus air -launched space nications and weapons technology. Over the

24 MONITORING TIMES September 1997