Allen V. Astin

Allen Varley Astin (June 12, 1904 – January 28, 1984) was an American physicist who served as director of the United States National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) from 1951 until 1969. During the Second World War he worked on the proximity fuse. He was an advocate for introduction of metric weights and measures to the United States. He was an elected member to the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. Early years Allen Astin was the eldest of three children of a school teacher in Utah. Astin's father died when he was only four years old. He graduated from the University of Utah physics program and in 1928 was granted a PhD in physics from New York University. That same year, Astin obtained a two-year fellowship for studies at Johns Hopkins University. Upon completing the fellowship he secured a staff position at the National Bureau of Standards, eventually working his way up to his appointment as director in May, 1952. AD-X2 controversy The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) began researching electric batteries in 1917 as part of the war effort. In its annual report for 1918, the bureau announced: "The need of the development of specifications and methods of test for electric batteries has long been recognized; but facilities have not been available to undertake this work. The needs of the military departments have recently become so urgent that the study of batteries has been undertaken." In addition to testing batteries for other government agencies, the NBS also tested battery additives of various kinds purported to improve battery life and performance. Even though testing continued until 1957 no additive was ever found to have beneficial effects. As far back as 1931, in order to respond to an increasing number of requests for battery additive testing, the Bureau issued Letter Circular (LC) 302, Battery Compounds and Solutions. The letter stated: "The later tests confirm the Bureau's previous conclusions that these materials do not charge storage batteries nor do they materially improve the performance of the batteries."