Contents
Lonnie Johnson
Inventing the Super Soaker while pursuing engineering and energy research.
Galileo mission · Super Soaker
- Born
- 6 October 1949
- Birthplace
- Mobile, Alabama, United States
More people
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson is an American engineer whose career has included aerospace work and widely used consumer inventions.
Early life
Tinkering
Built devices as a child and won recognition for a school robot.
Tuskegee
Studied mechanical and nuclear engineering.
Career
- 1970s
Air Force
Worked as an engineer after university.
- 1970s–1980s
Space engineering
Worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- 1980s onward
Independent invention
Developed the water-gun design and later energy technologies.
Inventions & projects
Galileo mission
Contributed engineering work connected with the Jupiter mission.
Super Soaker
His pressurised design became a major-selling toy.
Energy conversion
Pursued systems for converting heat into electricity.
Beyond work
Opportunity
Has supported science education and opportunities for young inventors.
Research interests
Continued working on energy storage and conversion beyond toys.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Office of Naval Research. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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