Assembling the 45-foot portable radio telescope that served as the fourth and distant member of the Green Bank Interferometer (GBI). Notice its iconic cement-filled “arms” that act as counterweights to its heavy dish.
Fog Over the 45-foot
A foggy autumn day in Green Bank, West Virginia, but the 45-foot is still trying to get some data from the Sun.
Neither Snow Nor Rain
Although it has lightly snowed in Green Bank, the 45-foot telescope is busy observing the Sun.
Staring at the Sun
The 45-foot telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia watches the Sun all day. A 70-300 MHz mid-frequency-range antenna points outwards on top of the quadropod arms.
Project Ozma Hardware
This equipment was installed in the control room of the 85-foot Howard E. Tatel telescope in Green Bank in 1960. Dr. Frank Drake used it to perform the world’s first search for extraterrestrial intelligence. He called the search Project Ozma, after the fictional queen of Oz. For two months, Drake and his team observed the stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani, two nearby, Sun-like stars. No signs of ETI were detected.
Moving House in Green Bank
Several farms were purchased in Green Bank to form the NRAO’s first observatory. Instead of being demolished, the houses that were in the way of telescope and building placement were moved to new locations around town and got new owners.