This medal was part of the Admiral William H.P. Blandly Gold Medal award given to Dr. Charles Stark Draper by the American Ordnance Association on October 16, 1958. The award is named after Admiral Blandly, head of the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance in the 1940s and later vice-president of the American Ordnance Association, and it is presented to someone who most successfully and ingeniously adds to the capability of the defense of the United States. Dr. Draper was awarded this medal because of his developments of inertial guidance systems used in rockets and missles. Dr. Draper donated a collection of his awards, including this medal, to the National Collection in 1974.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.