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By George Edward Jr. Alcorn
The son of an auto mechanic who prioritized education, George Alcorn Jr. showed exceptional talent in both science and sports early on. After excelling at Occidental College and earning a PhD from Howard University in 1967, he became one of the few African American engineers to hold senior positions at NASA during the 1960s. His expertise in ballistics was instrumental in the orbit calculations for rockets used in the Apollo programs.
Alcorn’s most famous invention is the Imaging X-ray Spectrometer, patented in 1984. This device uses X-ray properties to identify chemical elements in celestial objects, a crucial technology for detecting signs of life on other planets. Additionally, he was a pioneer in plasma etching for semiconductors. His methods for manufacturing integrated circuits using ionized gases (plasma) allowed for the creation of more precise and dense electronic components, laying the groundwork for modern microelectronics.
Alcorn’s legacy lives both in space and on Earth. His spectrometry instruments continue to be used in NASA space missions. Socially, he worked tirelessly for the inclusion of minorities in STEM fields, notably by founding the "Saturday Academy" to mentor youth and developing doctoral scholarship programs for African American students through the Meyerhoff Foundation.
His career was marked by prestigious awards: named NASA Inventor of the Year in 1984, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015. Holder of over 25 inventions, he also received the Heritage of Greatness Award from Howard University and the Government Technology Leadership Award for his leading role in government technological innovation.
