For the design, development, and operation of Corona, the first
space-based Earth observation system. Minoru S. "Sam" Araki was
the Lockheed lead engineer for the new gyro-stabilized
spacecraft. From Earth orbit, the craft had to serve as a stable
platform for camera operation and position itself for recovery
of the film capsule (see below). It used a three-gyro guidance
and control system with correction inputs from horizon sensors
that enabled precise, cold-gas valve firings for stabilization
on three axes. Gyros and cold-gas thrusters like Corona's are
still the standard for space systems today. Araki continued his
work supporting Lockheed Missiles and Space Company and Lockheed
Martin Missiles and Space for 38 years, retiring in 1997 as the
President of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Company. He is a
Fellow of the American Astronautical Society and a member of the
National Academy of Engineering. In 2004, he received the von
Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management from the
American Inst