Robert E. Cox
| Robert Edward Cox | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 12, 1917 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Died | December 16, 1989 (aged 72) |
| Residence | O'Fallon, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Optical engineer, science curator and writer |
| Employer | McDonnell Douglas Corporation |
| Known for | Popularizing amateur telescope making |
Robert Edward Cox (March 12, 1917 – December 16, 1989) was an American optical engineer and a popularizer of amateur telescope making. He conducted the popular "Gleanings for ATMs" (Amateur Telescope Makers) column in Sky and Telescope magazine for 21 years.
Cox worked briefly at Perkin Elmer in 1939. Shortly thereafter he was inducted into the Army Air Corps and served for two years in the South Pacific as a weather specialist. After the war, Cox accepted part-time positions as photographic technician at Harvard Observatory and as staff member at Sky and Telescope. He also became associate editor of Weatherwise magazine.
In 1949, Cox became science curator at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut, operating its Spitz planetarium projector and developing science activities for the public. In 1953 he began work at Boston University's Optical Research Laboratories, making the prototype optics for military aerial cameras designed by James G. Baker. In 1957, Cox returned to making commercial optics at the A. D. Jones Optical Works.
In 1960, Cox joined the McDonnell Aircraft Co. (now McDonnell-Douglas) in St. Louis, Missouri. His optical shop produced prototypes in connection with flight testing of Voodoo and Phantom fighter planes, as well as for the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft. Optics from his shop flew on all American manned space missions up through Gemini 8. Cox retired from McDonnell-Douglas in 1982 with the rank of senior engineer.
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