Ted Bluestein
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Below you will find our file on Theodore Bluestein, also  known as Ted Bluestein.


If you have further information on him, would like to write an article on him, or can help identify any of the people or please in the photographs please drop us email 

You may click each photograph to enlarge it.

- Ed Sharpe Archivist for SMECC

 

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Picture taken during the time Ted Bluestein was employed 
at Raytheon at the Bedford Labs in Bedford, Massachusetts.

 

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Picture taken during the time Ted Bluestein was employed at Motorola.

 

 

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Picture of Ted with others.  Back row (L to R) is Ken Raymond, Tom Brooks,  and Edwardo Palozuelos. In the very middle is a tehnician  who was a an FMC (builder of the BFV) tech rep. On the front row (L to R) is Ted (unknown last name), Ted Bluestein, an unknown tehnician  (sitting) who was a an FMC (builder of the BFV) tech rep,  and Richard Perkuhn.

We are just a bunch of "grunts" but Ted made us feel special as this was his nature.

This picture was taken at Hughes Tucson during a time when the initial system instrumentation checkout was performed for the TOW system in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. 

The trailer to the left of the picture is the equipment trailer intended for utilization on the Redstone Arsenal missile test range.

Information provided by:
Ken Raymond, Senior Project Engineer with Ted at Hughes Tucson

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Nice artist's rendering
(300 DPI scan-nice poster) 

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The Bradley!
My guess as to where the right hand picture was taken is Hughes El Segundo as they had the responsibility for the Bradley system.

Information provided by:
Ken Raymond, Senior Project Engineer with Ted at Hughes Tucson



 

Report No. FR-83-71-690 HAC Ref. No. F0575

Bradley Fighting Vehicles TOW 2 Subsystem

System Description

Contract No. DAAHOl-82-C-A184,

JUNE 1983

Tactical Systems Division Electro-Optical and Data Systems Group 
Hughes Aircraft Company • El Segundo, California

 

 
 

 

TED BLUESTEIN SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER ROLAND TUCSON MANUFACTURING DIVISION
MISSILE SYSTEMS GROUP HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY P. O. BOX 11337 TUCSON. ARIZONA 85734 (602) 746-8746

 

Failed test helped missile
designer win contract

By PAUL L. ALLEN Citizen Staff Writer

Missile engineer and designer 'Ted Bluestein said the defense industry traditionally deals with two sorts of problems:

Those with known solutions "cookbook situations, where you just go by the book" '- and those that have yet to be solved.

"When you're dealing with the unknown and you're trying to get that first baseline information, boy, ,are there some surprises - nasty surprises," 

He recounted one such incident, encountered by a company that eventually won the contract to produce rocket motors for the Patriot missile:

"One of companies competing for the rocket motor contract was Thiokol Corporation (Huntsville, Ala.). We explained that one of our big questions was, when the missile was launched and the rocket blasted off, what is the impact on the adjoining (canister) cases?

"We were looking at packages of six (subsequently reduced to four). We wondered how much of a nose shield do we need to protect adjoining missiles? What are the temperatures? What are the pressures when this thing fires?

"We asked various companies making rocket motors if they had tested, measured for that.

"None had. This was one of the first missiles to be launched out of a container.

"Thiokol was building prototype  motors in an attempt to win the contract.

"In one of their static firings, they took a rocket motor, anchored it, bolted it to their concrete test stand.

"In front of it they laid some railroad tracks, put a flatcar on the track, and built a mockup of the face of the launcher.

"They had instrumentation to measure temperatures. They had a big cable that came back to a motor,  and when the rocket went off, the cable would pull the launcher back (simulating the missile being launched).

"The whole thing was sur­rounded by gigantic earth berms to protect the surrounding area. They mounted an accelerometer on top of the mockup to measure accelera­tion as they pulled it back.

"The rocket motor, when it lighted off, just took that railroad car, with the steel mockup of canis­ters, and just threw it, snapped the steel cable, threw it over the em­bankment. It ended up a quarter­mile, half-mile away in a clump of birch trees . ..

"The accelerometer was set much too low, and was totally sa­turated (off the scale) - no data.

"And it turned out they didn't have enough current through the trip wires, so there was nothing there.

"And because of all the smoke, flame and debris, they couldn't see anything on the film. All telemetry wires had been severed, so they were not able to get any of the pressure data.

"I read the report, then told my propulsion guy, 'I think that's our propulsion crew.'

"He said, 'But they failed in the test.'

"I said, 'Yeah, but they were honest about it.'

"They did end up with the contract. "

 

 
 

 

Resume of THEODORE BLUESTEIN (now deceased)

4385 N. Paseo Rancho Tucson, Arizona 85745 (602) 743-7385

PERSONAL

Born:

Married:

EDUCATION

New York City, New York -- July 7, 1934 Wife, Helen E.

Four Children -- 31, 29, 27, and 17 years of age

B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering -- Pennsylvania State University June 1956

M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering -- University of Southern California February 1958

Hughes Master of Science Fellow

Hughes, Raytheon and Motorola Management Development Programs

HONORS

New York State Scholarship -- declined

Member Sigma Tau -- National Engineering Honor Society

EMPLOYMENT

January 1982 to January 1989 --Hughes Aircraft Company, Tucson

Engineering Laboratories/Land Combat Systems Division -- Senior Project Engineer, TOW Program

As a Senior Project Engineer in the TOW Systems Engineering organization, I have served as the lead engineer for several different project. These include:

Bradley Fighting Vehicle/TOW 2 -- I was responsible for directing, coordinating and integrating the Tucson efforts. The responsibilities involved the tactical software, systems analysis and simulation, and flight test planning and execution.

Egyptian Co-production Proposal -- I was responsible for preparing the systems engineering portion of the proposal and supporting International Marketing in coordinating it with the rest of the proposal.

TOW Mirage Failure Analysis -- After several failures during a foreign flight demonstration program, I led an effort to define the cause and develop fixes as required. Much of what was developed at this time was later incorporated into the TOW EPROM software.

TOW EPROM ECP -- I served as the Project Engineer for the program to develop an EPROM version of the Ground TOW System. This included directing TI's efforts in the

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Theodore Bluestein

development of a significantly modified version of the software, including the logic to handle mirage situations.

Swiss TOW 2 Co-production Courses -- I developed and coordinated a series of classes for Swiss factory and government representatives on the TOW System, production fabrication and assembly, techniques, and testing.

In addition to the above I also handled several other assignments including running GO Club solicitations, U. S. Savings Bond drives, and a six-month TOW instructional program for the TOW Weapon Systems Engineering Department.

Tune 1979 to December 1981 -- Hughes Aircraft Company, Tucson Manufacturing Division, Roland Project Office

December 1980 to T anuary 1989 --

Senior Project Engineer

Responsible for Tucson Support of MIP (Modification Improvement Program). Tune 1979 to December 1980 -- Systems Engineering Section Head

Responsible for Roland Systems Engineering activities at Tucson including hardware integration, interface definition and control, performance validation, test planning and evaluation, and simulation and analysis.

April 1976 to Tune 1979 --

Motorola Government Electronics Division Program Manager, Missile Systems Office

Responsible for Advanced Systems and Technology Programs including SIRCS, ASALM, Air-to-Ground ARM and an Anti-Tank Missile. During LIghtweight Radar Missile (LWRM now AMRAAM) contract served as Motorola's Program Manager working wit Northrop. Also had responsibility for initial phases of SMASH air-to-surface missile homing and Advanced ARM programs. Ran AMRA AM Captive Flight Tests.

Tune 1971 to March 1976

Raytheon Company, Missile Systems Division Principal Engineer

May 1973 to March 1976 --

Manager, Guidance and Controls Marketing

Responsible for marketing of all technology programs in guidance and controls. This included responsibility for proposal budgets, IRAD planning, and customer contracts. Programs included the Advanced Visual Target Acquisition Systems (Helmet Mounted Sight), Common Aperture Multi-Spectrum Seeker (CAMS) and Multi-Mode Guidance.

March 1972 to May 1973 --

Staff Engineer, Systems Design Department

Served as Technical Staff Engineer on AGILE Proposal as well as preparing the cost proposal. Served as Lead Engineer for Systems Engineering for Raytheon's Lightweight Weapon Control System, a radar and processor system for small ship anti-missile/antiaircraft defense. Prepared system and equipment specifications based upon requirements, allocations, and design trade-off studies.

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Theodore Bluestein

June 1971 to March 1972

Missile Manager, Hardsite Defense System Program Office

Responsible for the missile portion of Raytheon's Hardsite Defense System (Site Defense for Minuteman) proposal effort. This included directing and integrating Martin Company's efforts as a team member into the total system as well as coordinating the Raytheon efforts in the missile area including all contacts with the SAFSCOM Missile Office. Coordinated and integrated the test activities to be conducted at Martin and flight tests at Kwajalein.

August 1969 to Tune 1972 -

Piedmount Capital Company

Sold insurance and investment programs as an independent contractor. Products included mutual funds, life insurance, tax shelters and group health insurance accounts.

November 1961 to August 1969 -- Staff Engineer, Systems Engineering Laboratory

February 1969 to August 1969

Staff Engineer, Systems Engineering Laboratory

Served as consultant to program offices and prepared technology proposals as a lead engineer.

July 1968 to February 1969

Systems Integration Manager,

Short Range Missile Program Office

Responsible for total weapon system integration for Raytheon's proposal efforts for the USAF Short Range Missile (AIM-82). This included all aircraft design and integration efforts (launchers, cockpit, sights, human factors, etc.), ground support equipment, reliability, QA, and the test and evaluation program.

September 1965 to July 1968

Missile Manager, SAM-D (Patriot) Program Office

Responsible for pre-proposal, proposal and contract efforts on the SAM-D missile. This included all aspects of the missile; radome, guidance, control systems, propulsion and airframe. Directed the guidance system work at Raytheon and the airframe work at Martin Company while coordinating and integrating the efforts into the total weapon system. Specific Martin activities included; wind tunnel tests, radome sled tests, breadboard autopilot and actuators testing and structural tests.

November 1961 to September 1965 --

Senior Engineer, Missile Systems Division

During the period November 1961 to September 1965, I served in a variety of capacities from Project Aerodynamicist on Raytheon's Phoenix Missile System proposal to project engineer on Raytheon's AADS-70 and ASMS programs.

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Theodore Bluestein

Directed airframe redesign effort on XADR-7 A (2.75" Decoy Rocket for B-052) and initial design and wind tunnel activities for Sea Sparrow. Developed Steerable Tactical Ballistic Missile Concept for U. S. Army Missile Command.

June 1956 to November 1961 --

Hughes Aircraft Company

Joined Hughes Aircraft Company as a recipient of a Hughes Master of Science Fellowship, attended school evenings and worked as a wind tunnel test engineer. Project Aerodynamicist with responsibility for the GAR-ll (now AIRM-26A) and the HM-55 (Swedish Version) missiles. Had nuclear safety responsibility.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

President of Quality Flying Club (Raytheon employees)

Raytheon Bedford Laboratories United Way Chairman for 1976 campaign.

Board member and chairman, 1977-1978, of the Walden Massachusetts Branch of the American Cancer Society. Chairman of the 1975 Cancer Crusade in the Walden Branch (includes: Acton, Concord, Carlisle, Bedford, and Lincoln).

Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Chairman of Tucson Section, 1986-1988 -- Advisor to the University of Arizona student section. Served as Judge for Student Paper Conference for Region VI four times. Editor of newsletter.

Member of The Tucson Repeater Association (HAM Radio Club).

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MEMORIAL SERVICE For Theodore Bluestein

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No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.

- Thomas Carlyle

Theodore Bluestein

 

Born: July 07, 1934

Place: New York, New York

Died: July 17, 1993

Education:

B.S. Aeronautical Engineering

Pennsylvania State University, 1956 M.S. Aeronautical Engineering University of Southern California, 1958

MEMORIAL SPEAKERS

Mr. James Greenwood Senior Vice President (retired) Gates Learjet

Lieutenant Keith A. Bluestein, USN Son and Naval Officer

Mr. Fred Watson Manager, TOW Weapon Systems Engineering Dept. Hughes Aircraft

Anyone wishing to express final comments will be provided an opportunity following the last speaker

 

 
 

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