1910-

American electrical engineer who has been called the "father" of communication satellites for his research into passive and active satellites in synchronous and non-synchronous orbits. His work influenced the launch of the first NASA satellite, Echo 1, as well as that of the first active relay satellite, Telstar. Pierce has won numerous awards for his satellite work, including the National Medal of Science. He has also researched psychoacoustics and computer-generated music.