satellite pictures

[KansasCity]

Awesome.

Is it just me or does it look like it's set at a really low angle. I'd think it would be pointed more up in the sky, or maybe the pics don't show it.

I was trying to decide if it looked like it pivoted from the pics. I'm having a hard time, but doesn't seem like it could. That does seem like a very bad angle.

[Kit]

looks to be pointed right at the other mt. lol


its very odd indeed

[godfather]

Well, if it was owned by Hues then chances are it was not for anything outside of this atmosphere. There was a pic of the tracks it was on, so we know it rotates laterally. It is still kind of strange though as one would assume that they would get allot of interference from earth formations and trees at that height.

[Split]

Here is another pic of something that looks like it might have something to do with the controlling of the longitude.

[GlassCurtain]

It may just be the position they put it in when they shut the place down.

[Kit]

it might just be me but the pictures from the board seem to show it in the same position.

[Nicotti]

I'll take bets that is the 'resting' position for it. If they use it they move it to a different position otherwise they leave it in it's current position. Course now it probably can't move at all. But if they were using it for satellite communication tests it would have to have an adjustable position.

[fsp]

leaned towards this because off of Hwy 303 north at the Washington/Benton county line is a government radio tower maintained by the Navy. Also, the Navy maintains communication stations at the Little Rock AFB and at Tinker AFB.

OK, now I know its very likely an old cold war site. Hughes was a major cold war government contractor, and when the other post quoted above, I knew it wasn't a coincidence. Tinker AFB was a major communications point for the NCA (National Command Authority). This site was probably a radio troposcatter site, interconnected with the Navy antenna and the AT&T long lines cable system for a TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) flash message system. I'll see what else I find. Maps I have looked at show it is on a road called
"Reganda Springs Trail". The coordinates are approximate.
N34.3693,W93.6661

The direction the dish is pointing points towards the location of some decommisioned Titan missile silos two counties away.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/publications/b ... oldwar.htm

[Static_Age]

leaned towards this because off of Hwy 303 north at the Washington/Benton county line is a government radio tower maintained by the Navy. Also, the Navy maintains communication stations at the Little Rock AFB and at Tinker AFB.

OK, now I know its very likely an old cold war site. Hughes was a major cold war government contractor, and when the other post quoted above, I knew it wasn't a coincidence. Tinker AFB was a major communications point for the NCA (National Command Authority). This site was probably a radio troposcatter site, interconnected with the Navy antenna and the AT&T long lines cable system for a TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) flash message system. I'll see what else I find.

wow, Now I'm thoroughly confused, flash message systems?, sounds interesting.

[Nicotti]

OK I'm offically obssessed with finding out info on this site. Sadly the mircofilms for the arkansas gazette only go back to 1970 here, so I couldn't look up that article that was in the window. I did some more searching on the net, found a few leads, sent some emails.

First off i found reference to a nasa press release that i'm trying to get a copy of: 1965 - Hughes to build communications satellite terminal in Arkansas.

Secondly I've found info that dishes use to communicate with satellites in space from the 1960's required "very large apertures, about 30 meters in diameter, and very sensitive recievers" due to the low power available on the early satellites.

Thirdly, NASA choose Hughes Co to build communications satellites that they would send into space, SYNCOM. COMSAT had hughes build its 1st satellite EARLY BIRD which was launched from Cape Canaveral in april 1965.

Hopefully I'll get more info soon that i can share.

[Nicotti]

Oh and if anyone out there is a professional member of IEEE let me know, they have some articles that may be leads that I can't get to.

[GlassCurtain]

Good Finds guys. Here are the exact GPS coordinates. I took them while I was standing under the satellite.

N 34° 22.218'
W 093° 39.935'

[TooMuchCoffee]

Flash messages are very compact messages used to transmit alerts. Subs have to get close to the surface in order to receive the message because salt water interfers with transmission. So they have to get into either "very low freq" or "extremely low freq" range. this is anywhere from being on the surface (where they are defenseless) to about 200 meters (I think) in order to receive. ELF transmissions require the sub to spool out a very long antenne behind it. So the sub needs to receive the message very quickly, hence a nice compact "flash message" (the movie "Crimson Tide" is an excellent example of flash messages, VLF, and ELF's).
Since this is all kind of a pain in the ass, flash messages tend to be limited to very important messages.

Non-sub: very important messages sent out to everyone involved very quickly. My best friend was in the Air Force in security on 9-11. His unit received a flash message that the US was "under attack" and to secure the base, lethal force authorized, and "this is NOT a drill". Message was confirmed as real and off they went.

The military and government maintains a nationwide communication system. Radio towers are now kinda of the backup system thanks to satelites. The Air Force and Navy shuttle planes from coast to coast. They need to be able to talk to them. The Navy maintains communication stations at AFB's in order to maintain this system.

Back during the Cold War, the US relied heavily on the radio tower system, then started going to satelites.

[Nicotti]

First off i found reference to a nasa press release that i'm trying to get a copy of: 1965 - Hughes to build communications satellite terminal in Arkansas.

Ok so I got my copy of this article in the mail today. ( Sent out from the University of Oklahoma) Here's what it says:

Public Relations Department
Aerospace Group
Hughes Aircraft Company
Culver City, California

Hughes To Build Comunications Satellite Terminal In Arkansas


WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 -- Sen. J. William Fulbright (D., Ark.) disclosed today that Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, Cal., plans to build a communications satellite ground terminal in Arkansas and operate it as a space communications research station.

The senator made tha announcement at a luncheon attended by Sen. John L. McClellan; Arkansas congressman E. C. Gathings, Wilber Mills, James W. Trimble, and Oren Harris; NASA Administrator James E. Webb; state officials, and Hughes Aircraft Company executives Lawrence A. Hyland, Dr. Allen E. Puckett and John L. Winkel.

"The construction of this station will represent another major instance of benefits accruing from past investments in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration space programs," Senator Fulbright said. It will be financed and operated by Hughes.

Because of the terminal's location near the geographical center of the United States, its antenna will be able to "see" satellites over the Atlantic or Pacific oceans, and it will be able to communicate with ground stations stretching from Eastern Africa, South America and Europe to Indonesia, Australia and Japan, the senator explained.

"Hughes Aircraft Company, which built the NASA Syncom satellite, is a pioneer in the development of synchronous satellite systems," the senator said. "It believes that the research terminalis the next logical step in the future development of communication satellite systems within the framework of civilian economy."

(continued next post)

[Nicotti]

(continued)

Dr. Allen E. Puckett, Hughes vice president and head of the company's aerospace group, said the company in the near future will file an application with the Federal Communications Commission for construction and operation of the station. Upon receiving approval, the company will begin construction, which will require approximately a year, he said.

"Hughes Aircraft is building the 'Early Bird" satellite which is scheduled for lauching next March," Puckett said.

"Early Bird," which will link Europe to North America by telephone and television communications, is being built by Hughes for the Communications Satellite Corporation, he said.

"The Arkansas station should permit many significant long range experiments to be conducted independently of commercial paying traffic," Puckett asserted. "It will provide a United States terminal point for experimental studies by other countries, and should materially assist in the rapid development of the world-wide system envisioned by the Communications Satellite Act of 1962."

Puckett said the Arkansas location was chosen because of its potential visibility of both Pacific and Atlantic ocean satellites, suitable antenna angles, lack of electrical interference and variable weather.

1/12/65

(phew, long letter to retype)