Gernot M. R. Winkler

Gernot Maria Rudolph Winkler (October 17, 1922 – April 30, 2016) was responsible for the Time Service Department of the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) from 1966 to 1996.

Winkler oversaw the introduction of caesium beam-based Coordinated Universal Time based on hyperfine transitions and an internationally transportable "flying clock".

This in turn led Winkler to promote precision global positioning techniques (initially by time-reliable surface broadcasts in the LORAN and Omega radio-beacon chains, later by two-way satellite time and frequency transfer (TWSTT).

Recognition Winkler received several honours including: the 1988 I. I. Rabi Award sponsored by the IEEE and the Precise Time and Time Interval Distinguished Service Award of 1994 from the United States Department of Defense. A main-belt asteroid (6473 Winkler) was named in his honour. <-- NOTE: According to the IAU Minor Planet Center (minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=6473) this asteroid was: "Named in honor of Ron Winkler (b. 1954), digital engineer in the radio astronomy and radar group at NASA's Goldstone deep space communications complex." He is also remembered (in ESOC) for reputedly remarking that "Times can only improve if designers have their noses forced down on the grindstone of operations."