june february american mathematical physicist graduate earned phd physics direction conducted research princeton received patents improved designs persuaded come manhattan_project joined captain gun type weapons thin man discovered design work transferred leader group responsible design testing provided burst kick started nuclear fat man weapon war professor vice president research division worked family rockets offered position held retired early life born ohio june grew washington received degrees mathematics earned phd physics direction graduate studies colleague introduced wrote paper analyzed nuclear fusion year showed process key link chain reaction cycle major ways nuclear energy released solar core massive stars awarded nobel prize work stellar world war graduated taught year invitation awarded fellowship went work princeton time recruited advisory board joined visits brief stay harvard_university went continued studies resulted patents improved designs experience persuaded come manhattan_project joined captain leader target source group worked gun type weapons thin man april manhattan_project experienced crisis discovered nuclear work response completely reorganized laboratory focus development type nuclear weapon august reassigned new leader group group responsible design testing provided burst kick started nuclear fat man weapon postwar left returned soon left join assistant professor participated classified project improve balloon technology invented patented natural shape balloon participated student early search primary cosmic ray advancing professor minnesota vice president research division worked family rockets began series evolved launch vehicles space missions created staff expected serve company engineering divisions carry basic scientific research student joined staff created facility observations focused long radio waves transferred professor original observatory abandoned similar research continues larger central new_mexico later life early november president secretary defense selected head hoped able fix nation trouble missile program reluctant serve director salary offered let serve pay government paying expenses day allowing continue draw salary accepted offer ran storm political media criticism conflict interest involved heading agency million worth business year withdrew consideration accepted moved madison friends offered position took instead held position retired continued association laboratory death long battle cancer february obituary written buried wife jean new_mexico external links voices manhattan_project
Charles Critchfield