Lawrence K. Edwards (July 10, 1919 – April 4, 2009) was an American innovator in aerospace and ground transportation. Early in his career, he pioneered technologies for U.S. space and missile defense programs. He went on to invent and promote high-speed Gravity-Vacuum Transit and monobeam rail transit. He obtained a total of fourteen patents in those areas.

Early life and education

Edwards was born in Delaware, Ohio. He was the son of a physics professor and was raised in Oxford, Ohio. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University where he studied geology, math and physics.

Accomplishments in aerospace

Edwards played a role in the engineering of four of the nation's major aerospace programs:

Accomplishments in ground transportation

Edwards founded three firms dedicated to his innovations in ground transportation, Tube Transit Corp., Transit Innovations and Futrex Inc. His pursuits in this field include:

Honors and awards

Edwards was twice nominated by Lockheed executives for the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor for technological achievement in the United States. In 1980, NASA awarded him a team leadership award for his role in the Skylab Reentry Program. His inventions have been publicized in dozens of national newspapers, magazines and books. On three occasions, they were illustrated as "Patent of the Week" in the New York Times. Edwards received six federal grants for his work in Gravity-Vacuum Transit and System 21. Additionally, $1.25 million in Commerce Department funds supported the construction of a functional scale model of System 21 in Charleston, South Carolina. It was unveiled in 1996.

Professional affiliations

Edwards was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Cosmos Club. He was also an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences.