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Swagfu

Swagfu

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Aug 27, 2014
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Deland, Fl
So I took a trip to Titusville, FL today. About 150 miles or so round trip for me. If you aren't familiar, this is close to NASA. Anyway, I saw this thing along a pretty empty road and figured I would take a picture. Anyone know what it is? It looked to be some type of electrical thing, but I never saw one like it before.

0912141334_zps90c2dde0.jpg
 
Military radar, they have them low like that for some odd reason. The NOAA wsr88 domes are mounted up on towers.


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I thought it was pretty cool when I saw it. I don't usually stop for pictures and such, but when something really odd or awesome comes up in my travels, I try to if there is a place to pull over. I kid you not, that road only had maybe 4 cars on it for about 12 miles. And the road was in great shape. Must not be too travelled. I will go again. I saw a sign for viewing Manatees, so I may go back and do that.
 
They are Doppler domes, mounted at ground level for microbursts. They will be arrayed around the perimeters of airfields. There's one on Glade Rd just off 121 for the west side of DFW airport.
 
Nah nah guys
They are brain wave readers for the NSA
That's why they're so close to the ground
That's why you have to wrap your head in foil
 
It's a geodesic dome, practically immune to wind damage due to texture and shape, for exactly the same reason golf balls have dimples. There is some interesting science behind the shape if you care to google it. They usually have radar inside of one type or another, though some are equipped with opening sections for use with telescopes.
 
KenH said:
It's a geodesic dome, practically immune to wind damage due to texture and shape, for exactly the same reason golf balls have dimples. There is some interesting science behind the shape if you care to google it. They usually have radar inside of one type or another, though some are equipped with opening sections for use with telescopes.
Click to expand...

but not completely!
dome1.jpg
 
Swagfu said:
So I took a trip to Titusville, FL today. About 150 miles or so round trip for me. If you aren't familiar, this is close to NASA. Anyway, I saw this thing along a pretty empty road and figured I would take a picture. Anyone know what it is? It looked to be some type of electrical thing, but I never saw one like it before.

0912141334_zps90c2dde0.jpg
Click to expand...

ok where was this at? everything points to it being a joint air force /FAA ARSR-4 (Air Route Surveillance Radar) but it has to be just a FAA one as there are not any joint ones around Titusville. the closest joint one is outside of Melborne, FL.
 
This is on the Courtenay Pkwy N. A little north of Titusville. You can turn around (from the direction of the picture and see a launch pad and NASA building in the distance.
 
It could be joint with NASA. This installation is just a couple of miles from the Shuttle Landing Facility runway; almost directly in-line with KSC33.
I'll ask around with the weather folks and comm & track peoples. Either if not both these groups should be familiar with this.
 
AH! ok that one is just NASA, it was used to track the shuttle as it was coming in to land from about 250 miles out. the dish next to it was for communication with the shuttle and would follow it.

it would provide the communication relay for the final 13 minutes of the shuttle flight.
 
Swagfu said:
That so cool to know. Amazing sometimes what you find riding.
Click to expand...

yes, just digging around and doing research I have learned a bunch more.

if the radar is not covered by a dome (red mesh thing spinning around) it is close in tracking radar for airport (some are in domes in some locations where weather requires it) the ARSR-4 long range route tracking radar dish actualy looks like the short range radar but they are all covered by a dome.

at DFW airport the close range (used for guiding in to runway) radar are mounted out further away from the airport than the long range radar.
 
So I wasn't able to get solid intel on this installation, but it appears to be a C-band tracking station according to one source.
C-band tracking was used to track the Shuttle during ascent. One of its uses is the tracking of debris in case of a ascent anomaly. It's location directly in-line with KSC33 appears to be coincidental.

It does not appear to be part of the MILA tracking complex that provides the primary tracking and communication with the Shuttle Orbiter.
 
If you want to kill a lot of time check out history.nasa.gov
Documents in there that go into detail on how they tracked and communicated with capsules back in the day.


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