The second 85-foot telescope of Green Bank Observatory
Previously, owned by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), Green Bank Observatory’s second 85-foot telescope (85-2) was, like its predecessor, the Howard E. Tatel Telescope, was built from a kit by the Blaw-Knox Corporation. Completed in February 1964, the 85-2 paired with the Tatel to form the NRAO’s first array, the Green Bank Interferometer (GBI). The GBI was changeable, because the 85-2 telescope sat on its own set of 64 wheels, and tractors could haul it up and down this stretch of road leading from the Tatel. In fact, the D7 Bulldozer in the foreground right was used as a pulling truck. Changing the distance between the 85-footers changed the resolution of the array’s combined view: farther equals higher resolution. An early computer combined the data from the two telescopes, and the cable tray for the signals runs along the far left of this photo. Today, there are three 85-foot dish antenna’s that for the GBI.
