Pentagon wizards of technology eye wider civilian role; some see agency as a savior of high-tech industry, but economists fear meddling
Article Abstract:
The future of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is uncertain as Congress battles over whether to expand the agency's role into commercial research or narrow it to military interests. The agency has no labs of its own; it searches out promising research and pays companies and universities to devote resources to it. In its 33 years, DARPA has contributed to technology in the Stealth bomber, cruise missiles and satellites. With the ending of the Cold War and the decline of the US's competitive edge in high-tech industries, however, Democrats would like DARPA to branch out to high-definition television, computer ships, flat displays, fiber optics and other commercial applications. One effort to bridge the gap calls for dual-use DARPA programs in which research costs are shared by industry.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1991
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U.S. pushes for lead over Japan with chips etched by X-rays: engineers say a new particle accelerator could help retake market
Article Abstract:
The US began using a compact synchrotron at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Oct 1990. The $32 million machine, which is only 13 feet long and seven feet wide, emits X-rays that can etch very fine lines on the silicon chips that are used to make integrated circuits. According to Gwyn P. Williams, a Brookhaven physicist, the US could now capture much of the world chip market. Between 1980 and 1990, while Japan's share of the chip market increased, the US saw its share fall from 60 percent to under 40 percent. The Brookhaven machine, which was financed by the Defense Department, can etch lines of about 0.1 micron, which in theory means that a computer chip with the equivalent of 4 billion transistors could be built.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1990
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Satellites keep watch on the desert
Article Abstract:
The US spy satellites that are orbiting over Iraq can keep tabs on troop movements night and day, see through camouflage, eavesdrop on the most sensitive battlefield communications. The US has a fleet of about five picture-taking satellites that orbit hundreds of miles in space and beam photographic images back to earth. The satellites are said to be a deterrent to aggression and have played a key role in Bush's decision to send American troops to the Middle East and the Saudis' decision to allow American troops on their soil.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1990
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