National Air and Space Museum Archives

Baker-Nunn Satellite Tracking Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2012.0014
Creators:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Dates:
bulk 1965-1983
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
9.46 Cubic feet
(8 boxes)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 8 cubic feet of documentation on the Baker-Nunn camera, including the following types of material: drawings, photographs, manuals and reports, and memorandums and correspondence

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Baker-Nunn Camera, designed by James Baker and Joseph Nunn, was created to observe both natural and man-made satellites orbiting at a great altitude. This high-precision telescopic tracking camera was used by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) to track artificial satellites from the 1950s to mid-1970s. The SAO set up a highly successful optical tracking system using a network of Baker-Nunn cameras at twelve tracking stations located in Argentina, Australia, Curacao, India, Iran, Japan, Peru, South Africa, Spain, and at three sites in the United States.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) via Space History Division, NASM, Gift, 2012

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
Baker-Nunn Satellite Tracking Collection, Accession 2012-0014, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Baker-Nunn camera Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artificial satellites -- Optical observations Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artificial satellites -- Tracking Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Astronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuals Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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