Page 2541 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 1 August 2018
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The Canberra deep space communication centre has a unique history. We know that in the late 1950s, after deciding that the remote Woomera site was not ideal for deep space tracking, the search began for an alternative site. By the 1960s, the growth of the national capital was considered to be occurring at too slow a pace—not like today, Mr Assistant Speaker—and pressure was placed on the Australian government to remedy the situation. The decision was made to locate a new tracking station in the Australian Capital Territory in an effort to promote growth in the region.
The Tidbinbilla valley, 35 kilometres south-west of Canberra, was chosen due to its close proximity to our growing city, with the surrounding ridges helping to shield it from unwanted radio interference. Construction of the complex began in June 1963, with operations commencing in December 1964, in time to support the Mariner 4 spacecraft encounter with Mars. The centrepiece of the complex was a 26-metre antenna, deep space station 42. Two years later, a crewed space flight wing was added to the complex to assist with the Apollo missions to the moon. Since we have already celebrated the Apollo 11 mission and the work of Honeysuckle Creek in the Assembly, I will leave that part of our history as said.
By 1970, the CDSCC featured a power station facility to manage the sewage and water supplies, while a cafeteria and sleeping accommodation fed and housed many of the workers on the site.
During early 1969, construction started on a new antenna. At 73 metres in height and weighing more than seven million kilograms, the 64-metre antenna, deep space station 43, took nearly four years to complete. The need for such an antenna was brought about by the increasing amounts of data received and the rapidly expanding distances that spacecraft were travelling. The new antenna was more than six times as sensitive as the existing 26-metre antenna and therefore could extend the useful lifetime of a spacecraft, as its signal became weaker the further it was from the earth.
During the 1980s the Voyager spacecraft travelled billions of kilometres to investigate the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They were at such distances that the signals from the spacecraft would be extremely weak and require more sophisticated equipment on Earth to receive them. Consequently, in 1980 the 26-metre antenna was upgraded to become a 34-metre antenna, improving the surface of the dish and adding higher frequency receiving capabilities. Similarly, in 1987 the 64-metre antenna was upgraded to 70 metres. Even today, the 70-metre antenna is the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere. When Honeysuckle Creek tracking station closed in December 1981, the 26-metre antenna was relocated to Tidbinbilla and renamed deep space station 46.
This year, NASA celebrates 60 years in aerospace research. For six decades NASA has led the peaceful exploration of space, making discoveries about our planet, our solar system and our universe. At home, NASA research has made great advances in aviation, helped to develop a commercial space industry, enriched our economy, created jobs, and strengthened national security in the US. I am advised by Glen Nagle from the CDSCC that there are several events marked to celebrate the milestone in October this year.
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