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U. S. Air Force Aerospace Defense Command’s (ADC) USAF SPACETRACK radar near the New Jersey Turnpike draws startling reactions from motor ists. From the floor of the building it rests on, the top of the dome is 13 stories high. The rigid dome, con structed of 1,646 plastic panels, can withstand winds How Apollo 7 Dodges 1,300 Space Objects Directing Space Traffic. "Apollo Seven, this is mission control. You have a Cosmos 243 approaching you at three o’clock in approximately one minute. Request you obtain full camera coverage.” “RRRoger mission control. This is Apollo Seven and we have made visual contract. Ca mera coverage beginning now. Approaching at extremely high rate of speed. We’ll advise you on rendezvous.” This type of conversation has become familiar to every Am erican who has followed a space launch. Years of research and dedica tion by thousands of ”behind-the scenes” personnel often go un noticed at the huge rockets fling their manned capsule payloads into orbit. One of these unknown groups of men directs the USAF Space track System. It operates under GRIFFIN DAIUV'SSF NEWS MAGAZINE Griffin, Go., 30223, Sat. and Sun., Oct. 19-20, 1968 gSfe 'ic "' : f w !; , - ' ’ ' i - . ' > I1 l/SAF ' . * . . < ■'x s < z ' '■* s ?y '>.•■■>• ■ -A' ' : 'x« • Ji **/&* *rggL * 1 SPACETRAEK » WMEEEMQ BL' Kt . Aerospace Defense Command’s (ADC) 14th Aerospace Force, and has tracking sites scattered throughout the world. Since before the first launch of Sputnik I in 1957, the Air Force has been concerned with iden tifying and cataloging all man made objects orbiting the ear th. On Oct. 4, 1957, a Baker-Nunn camera, now a part of the USAF Spacetrack system, photogra phed the Russian satellite Sput nik I. That event in itself is or dinary by today’s standards of space surveillance. But in 1957, that first photogra ph was taken on the same day as the Sputnik I launch! The USAF Spacetrack system is responsible for the detecting, tracking, and identifying of the man-made objects in space. Apollo astronauts tip their hel mets to ADC and USAF Space track for a very special reason. up to 140 miles per hour. The 135 personnel who operate the USAF SPACETRACK center are respon sible for deleting satellites and spacecrafe debris. ADC is a major component of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). (U. S. AIR FORCE PHOTO) During their 11-day flight, all space objects are monitored by USAF Spacetrack with informa tion fed to the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Space Defense Center (SDC) in Cheyenne Mountain near Color ado Springs, Colo. These ADC ‘traffic patrolmen” of space keep track of more than 1,300 pieces of orbiting material in space. Using sophisticated USAF Spacetrack gear, they notify the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NSA SA), managers of the Apollo, that the astronauts will soon be passing another satellite. These satellites, Including some “space junk”, sometimes pass the Apollo capsule at speeds up to 25,000 mph. However, with timely Space Defense Center gui dance, NASA can position the capsule away from any possible collision. Although there are approxima tely 1,300 man-made objects in space, the Space Defense Cen ter has predicted the chances of collision with the Apollo capsule to be extremely remote. How ever, the chances of a visual si ghting are quite good. Air Force Major Dick Cable, an Orbital Analyst with the Sp ace Defense Center, works with computers to determine the ex act position of all satellites. “These 1,300 objects circling the earth make about 15 revolutions daily. That means that each day the astronauts are in orbit, they are faced with 20,000 possible crossings.” Principal USAF Spacetrack radar sites are located at Shem ya, Aik.; Moorestown, N.J.; and Trinidad, British West Indies. These radar sites might star- Continued on page eight