The Society of the Plastics Industry introduced the Resin Identification Code (RIC)

system in 1988 as a growing number of communities were implementing recycling

programs.[3] In order to address the concerns of recyclers across the U.S., the RIC
system was designed to make it easier for workers in Materials Recovery and Recycling
facilities to sort and separate items according to their resin type. Plastics must be
recycled separately, with like materials, in order to preserve the materials value and
enable its reuse in other products after being recycled.
In its original form, the symbols used as part of the RIC consisted of arrows that cycle
clockwise to form a triangle that encloses a number. The number broadly refers to the
type of plastic used in the product:

1 signifies that the product is made out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

(beverage bottles, cups, other packaging, etc.)

2 signifies high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (bottles, cups, milk jugs, etc.)

3 signifies polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (pipes, siding, flooring, etc.)

4 signifies low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (plastic bags, six-pack rings, tubing,

etc.)

5 signifies polypropylene (PP) (auto parts, industrial fibers, food containers,

etc.)

6 signifies polystyrene (PS) (plastic utensils, Styrofoam, cafeteria trays, etc.)

7 signifies other plastics, such as acrylic, nylon, polycarbonate and polylactic

acid (PLA).

When a number is omitted, the arrows arranged in a triangle form the

universal Recycling Symbol, a generic indicator of recyclability. Subsequent revisions to
the RIC have replaced the arrows with a solid triangle, in order to address consumer
confusion about the meaning of the RIC, and the belief that the presence of a RIC
symbol on an item does not necessarily indicate that it is recyclable.

In 2008, ASTM International took over the administration of the RIC system and
eventually issued ASTM D7611 - Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured
Articles for Resin Identification.[4] In 2013 this standard was revised to change the
graphic marking symbol of the RIC from the "chasing arrows" of the Recycling Symbol
to a solid triangle instead.
Echo Sounding (1923-1945)
The first great era of ocean exploration ended in the early 1920s, giving rise to
new methods born of the fledgeling Electronic Age. In 1922, the
USSStewart was equipped with a Hayes echo sounder, designed by Dr. Harvey
Hayes of the U.S. Navy. In 1923, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (C&GS,
formerly the Coast Survey) Ship Guidewas equipped with a Hayes echo sounder
and proceeded to the North Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal and the west
coast of Mexico. Along the way, the Guide compared wireline and acoustic
soundings in depths ranging from 100 to 4,617 fathoms. This work laid the
basis for early work in determining accurate values for the velocity of sound in
seawater. Over the next few years, virtually every U.S. Coast and Geodetic
Survey ship was outfitted with the new echo-sounding technology.

The USS Stewart made approximately 900 soundings,

from the United States to the Straits of Gibraltar,
with the Hayes echo sounder. (NOAA Photo Library).

The C&GS ship Guide discovered this seamount in 1933.

In 1936 it was officially designated Davidson Seamount

in honor of George Davidson of the C&GS. This was the
first feature to ever be termed a "seamount." (NOAA Photo Library).

GPS INVENTOR
Overview
By
Thomas B. McCaskill
Roger L. Easton is the principal inventor and designer of the Global Positioning
System (GPS). Considering the 1992 Collier Trophy that was awarded to the GPS
team on 4 May 1993 supports this claim. The Vice Chief of Naval Operations, ADM
Stan Arthur, accepted the award on behalf of the Navy and the United States Naval
Research Laboratory (NRL). During his remarks, he made it absolutely clear to the
audience that NRL led the way to GPS and took special note that NRL's Roger Easton
actually "fathered" the idea. Two of Roger Easton's patents laid the foundation for the
fundamental operation of GPS. All critical decisions related to the GPS system
architecture resulted from the NRL TIMATION concept. NRL scientists also, designed,
built, and orbited four satellites that were used to prove the feasibility of the
proposed satellite navigation concept. Two satellites, TIMATION I & II, were flown in
1967 and 1969 to demonstrate the concept of using synchronized clocks that
provided passive ranging signals that were used for navigation and time
synchronization. The Navigation Technology Satellite I (NTS-1), flown in 1974,
introduced rubidium atomic clocks; and, NTS-2, flown in 1977, introduced cesium
atomic clocks. Roger Easton led the team of NRL scientists that provided the
foundation for the revolutionary new Department of Defense (DoD) navigation and
time
transfer
system.
that
is
now
known
as
GPS.
The citation accompanying the presentation of the Collier Trophy honored the GPS
team for "the most significant development for safe and efficient navigation and
surveillance of air and spacecraft since the introduction of radio navigation fifty years
ago." Of the five organizations that were recognized, two were not involved at the
time that GPS was formally declared a DoD system. The remaining three
organizations were: (1) the U.S. Air Force, (2) the Aerospace Corporation, and (3)
the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. The Air Force 621-B proposal resulted primarily
from work done by the Aerospace Corporation; hence, there were really only two
finalists in the intense competition for the DoD Defense Navigation Satellite System.
The conclusion, using this line of reasoning, would be reached by comparing the
current GPS system configuration with the 621-B and NRL TIMATION proposals. The
GPS fundamental concept of using stable clocks in the satellites for controlling precise
time and navigation signals, and the mid-altitude constellation were a result of the

NRL-proposed design for GPS.