. ▁Richard son ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁whose ▁formulas ▁for ▁analyz ing ▁meteor ological ▁data ▁were ▁imp ract ical ▁at ▁the ▁time , ▁led ▁to ▁tri als ▁with ▁the ▁first ▁electronic ▁computers ▁[ ▁See ▁John ▁von ▁Ne umann ▁Institute ▁for ▁Advanced ▁Study , ▁Pr inc eton , ▁EN I AC ]; ▁it ▁would ▁take ▁more ▁powerful ▁computers ▁to ▁handle ▁the ▁mass ▁of ▁data ▁required ▁to ▁make ▁tim ely , ▁accurate ▁forec asts . ▁ ▁A ▁controvers ial ▁era ▁in ▁Reich ' s ▁life ▁followed ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁when ▁cloud ▁physics ▁and ▁the ▁potential ▁for ▁producing ▁rain ▁by ▁seed ing ▁clouds ▁with ▁silver ▁i od ide ▁or ▁dry ▁ice ▁gained ▁many ▁supp or ters . ▁ ▁Ins isting ▁on ▁evidence ▁of ▁effect iveness ▁before ▁comm itting ▁to ▁such ▁an ▁approach , ▁Reich ▁was ▁accused ▁of ▁being ▁reaction ary , ▁but ▁tests ▁by ▁the ▁National ▁Academy ▁of ▁Sciences ▁and ▁others ▁just ified ▁his ▁commit ment ▁to ▁rig orous ▁proof . ▁ ▁So ▁did ▁the ▁beg inn ings ▁of ▁h urr icane ▁research ▁programs , ▁the ▁A ircraft ▁Oper ations ▁Center , ▁the ▁National ▁Se vere ▁Storm s ▁Labor atory , ▁and ▁the ▁Air ▁Resources ▁Labor atory . ▁Perhaps ▁the ▁greatest ▁of ▁weather ▁observation ▁innov ations , ▁the ▁meteor ological ▁satellite , ▁was ▁also ▁introduced ▁during ▁his ▁ten ure ▁with ▁the ▁launch ▁of ▁T I RO S ▁I ▁on ▁April ▁ 1 , ▁ 1 9 6 0 . ▁ ▁Francis ▁Reich el der fer ▁was ▁a ▁sail or ,