Dahlgren Navy Base Starts Centennial Countdown [Image 10 of 11]

UNITED STATES

10.16.2017

Photo by Stacia Courtney 

Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division

DAHLGREN, Va. (Oct. 16, 2017) – Maj. Erin Dunagan, U.S. Air Force 18th Space Control Squadron, Detachment One commanding officer, briefs civilians and Capt. Godfrey ‘Gus’ Weekes, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division commanding officer about two satellites on display at the exhibit tent during the centennial kickoff celebration of the Navy base at Dahlgren. The satellite, pictured left, was launched on Aug. 13, 1965 when the space surveillance system was converted to a new operating frequency and it served as a signal source (mHz) for determining if all the surveillance system antenna elements were correctly adjusted in phase. The circular nine-inch diameter satellite was launched on March 9, 1965 as a target for the Navy’s space surveillance system. The unusual design of this small satellite permitted it to become a large space target 50 feet in diameter. The Navy transferred operation of the former Naval Space Surveillance System – the nation's oldest sensor built to track satellites and debris in orbit around the Earth – to the Air Force on Oct. 1, 2004. The 18th Space Control Squadron maintains continuous and transparent space situational awareness to assure global freedom of action in space.

• Date Taken: 10.16.2017
• Date Posted: 10.18.2017 20:27
• Photo ID: 3876192
• VIRIN: 171016-N-DE005-016
• Resolution: 1024x582
• Size: 250.81 KB
• Location: US