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It is a “Mission Possible” - to infuse children and
adults with the wonderment and awe of outer space by exposing them to the giant
antennas at Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex. How do you define “wonderment?” Dictionaries
are very simple - “Something that produces wonder; a marvel.”
It is one thing to see objects of space exploration
on television or in films. But when the intricacies of spacecraft and their communication
devices are within arms reach, then fantasy can become reality.“A cause or occasion of wonder.”
“The joy of discovery.”
The last sentence. That’s it. That is what I felt when I saw the giant
communication antennas up close and personal on my tour of the Goldstone Deep
Space Communications Complex.
The two gleaming dishes of the Gemini station are the first antennas on the
road into GDSCC. They are so alien-looking in the Mojave Desert landscape - so
very white in a sea of browns and dull-gold. But it is their size that can overwhelm
the senses - and the knowledge of what they do. I parked the car for a
moment and just stared at them.
I felt as if I had discovered a whole new world. A world of infinite possibilities;
of extraterrestrial life, of exploration beyond planetary bounds. Not science
fiction but science fact.
It is one thing to see objects of space exploration on television or in films.
But when the intricacies of spacecraft and their communication devices are within
arms reach, then fantasy can become reality.
The Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex is north of Barstow, Calif.
on Fort Irwin National Training Center. It is one of three complexes, which comprise
NASA’s Deep Space Network. The DSN provides radio communications for all
of NASA’s interplanetary spacecraft and is also utilized for radio astronomy
and radar observations of the solar system and the universe.
The facility provides the means for Earth-based teams to send commands to
spacecraft and bring back images and information collected about planets, the
solar system and the universe beyond.
It can also track asteroids that are potentially hazardous to Earth. For
example, asteroid 2007 DT103 was discovered by the Mt. Lemmon Survey (University
of Arizona) on Feb. 26, 2007. Goldstone ran a series of tests and observations
through early August of that year, on this traveling rock.
The different antenna stations at Goldstone are usually busy tracking and
communicating with a variety of spacecraft. “These are some of the spacecraft we are
tracking right now: The two Mars’ rovers - Spirit and Opportunity;
the two Voyagers and the largest craft out there, Cassini, currently in orbit
around Saturn,” said Karla Warner, outreach coordinator for the communication
complex.
Scientists believe the more we know about space and
its bodies, the more we can learn about our own planet Earth.“When the Cassini mission launched back in 1997, we knew of only 18 moons
orbiting Saturn,” said Carl Murray, a Cassini imaging team scientist from
Queen Mary, University of London. “Now, between Earth-based telescopes
and Cassini we have more than tripled that number - and each and every
new discovery adds another piece to the puzzle and becomes another new world
to explore.”
This 60th addition to the Saturnian system was discovered by Murray on May
30, 2007 and is affectionately, if temporarily, named “Frank.”
Scientists believe the more we know about space and its bodies, the more
we can learn about our own planet Earth.
Visitors from Los Angeles to Fresno and Las Vegas to Victorville come to
Goldstone for the amazing tours and museum. There are experiments, model spacecraft,
hands-on displays and a drive around the desert to see the various antenna stations
and a full-size replica of a Mars rover.
Groups can be from one to 50, with the majority being from schools, families,
clubs and senior citizens groups.
An experiment with soundwaves involving a tunnel is pretty popular. “Most
kids who have been here before ask if they are going in the tunnel,” Warner
said. She tells them, “Yes, if you want to,” with excited enthusiasm
for what she does. “I love these kids,” she said.
Tours are Monday through Friday. Two tours a day, each tour is geared to
the audience whether they be astrophysicists or toddlers. Warner said, “The
public needs to be aware of the great stuff we have in space.”
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