Picture Album of the
DEEP SPACE NETWORK

Az-El Antenna Move from the Echo Site to the Venus Research and Development Site, Goldstone, California

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The az-e1 antenna was moved in the early summer of 1962 from the Echo site to the new Venus site 10 kilometers (six miles) away, at the southern edge of the Goldstone facility. Eight 50-ton hydraulic jacks were needed to lift the structure onto a supporting undercarriage; the actual move occurred over a period of one week. The soft sand between the sites, together with the springiness of the undercarriage, softened the ride considerably and enabled the trip to be made with very little shock-loading to the antenna structure. The desert conditions at Goldstone continue to preserve the tracks in the sand that were created by the move.

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