Previously Featured



Newest featured posts at the bottom of this page.

Honeysuckle photo of the month
Honeysuckle photo of the month

June 2008

Four Tidbinbilla Station Directors –
Mike Dinn 1988-94, Tom Reid 1970-88, Don Gray 1967-70, Peter Churchill 1994-2007. (It’s also a photo of 2 HSK StaDirs and 1 Deputy.)
From Mike Dinn, taken May 2008 at the funeral service for Monica Flint. (The Flint family owns the land around CDSCC.)

July 2008

Australian Prime Minister John Gorton visits Honeysuckle Creek just before the Moon Walk – Monday 21 July 1969.
L-R: Lloyd Bott (Dep. Secretary, Dept of Supply), PM John Gorton, Allan Cooley (Sec. Dept of Supply) Station Director Tom Reid.
Photo: Thanks to Michael Bott via Ken Sheridan. Gorton’s visit.


Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle photo of the month

September 2008

The old Honeysuckle antenna, now DSS-46 at Tidbinbilla, May 2008.

The antenna, now 41 years old, is still in daily use.

October 2008

Bryan Sullivan and Ron Hicks in the Computer section during Apollo 7.
Read more on Apollo 7 here.

 


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

February 2009

From the water tank

Photos taken from the water tank show the development of HSK.

May 2009

The Comms area
Dick Stubbs, Tony Gerada and Fred Hill during Apollo days.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

June 2009

Ed von Renouard
at the Honeysuckle Scan Converter during the Apollo 11 Moonwalk.

July 2009

Walter Cronkite at Goldstone
It’s not Honeysuckle, but this seemed appropriate.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

October 2009

Enjoying a Swan Lager
Bryan Sullivan, Geoff Seymour and Mike Evenett among those enjoying a Swan after Apollo 16. Story

November 2009

Bryan Sullivan and Frank Hain
in the computer section during Apollo 12, November 1969.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

December 2009

On March 17th 1967, Prime Minister Harold Holt opened Honeysuckle Creek. On December 17th 1967, he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach in Victoria.

December 2009 #2

In March 2006, Stan Lebar (1925–2009), Manager of the Westinghouse Lunar TV Camera Program, thanked the Australian trackers for their help in bringing the Apollo 11 TV to the world.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

January 2010

On January 19 2010, the first step in the shut down of the old Honeysuckle Creek antenna, DSS46, commenced.
Tribute page.

April 2010

Apollo 13 – 40th anniversary

See the newly updated Apollo 13 section.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

July 2010

Apollo 11 – 41st anniversary.
Kevin Gallegos (Honeysuckle SDDS) talks about being in the hot seat for the Apollo 11 Moonwalk.

August 2010

No matter what else was happening, everyone at the station needed to be fed – and the Clissolds took care of that in the canteen.
(Photo from the Apollo 11 staff photo.)


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

September 2010

The Station Gardener / Groundsman, Bill Shaw kept the grounds in amazing condition – an oasis of order in the midst of the Australian bush.
Photo from the Apollo 11 staff photo.

October 2010

Early in the life of the station, Bruce Withey took two photos from the Coll Tower – one with a telephoto lens. Click the image for a 2MB composite of the two. Note the passive repeater on Dead Man’s Hill.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

October 2010

See a video tribute to Tom Reid, who died in early October 2010. In the Station Directors’ section.

December 2010 #1

John Vanderkly and Brian Hale in the recorders section during Apollo 17 support, at 10:50:53pm AEDT on Tuesday December 12, 1972.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

December 2010 #2

Rod Lindrea, Graham Fraser and Alan Foster at the Honeysuckle Receivers during Apollo 8.

January 2011

Bruce Window (pictured at Island Lagoon Minitrack) shares his story in the new Interviews section.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

February 2011

Don Blackman and Ken Lee at the controls of Muchea’s Verlort Radar. Muchea tracked and communicated with John Glenn on his historic first orbit, February 20th 1962.

June 2011

Hamish Lindsay took this photo of Gai Rossell, Rhelma Burns, Barbara Vanderputt, Margaret Morgan, and Pearl Gregory on 13 May 1975.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

July 2011 #1

Adrian Carter took this photo of the old Honeysuckle antenna (DSS-46) and DSS-43, at Tidbinbilla in June 2011.

July 2011 #2

42 years since Apollo 11.
MSFN Network Launch audio.
Launch seen from 43,000 feet.
HSK log for Apollo 11.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

July 2011 #3

40 years since Apollo 15.

HSK StaDir Don Gray with CDR Dave Scott and CMP Al Worden.

September 2011

The Telemetry area in 1967. L-R Eric Stallard, Bruce Withey, Laurie Turner, Bill Waugh. (Photo from Bruce Withey.)


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

October 2011

Ed von Renouard and Bill Perrin enjoy a game of chess in the Telemetry area. (Photo: Nevil Eyre.)

November 2011

Apollo 17 LMP Dr. Harrison Schmitt signs the master signature sheet at HSK on 3 May 1973.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

December 2011

‘Search for the Spurs.’
The HSK feed cone is removed in the search for arcing as Apollo 8 heads for the Moon, December 1968.

January 2012

‘New’ audio of the Apollo 11 Landing, from the MOCR Network console.


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

February 2012

Messages from John Glenn, Chris Kraft and Michael Griffin.
Fifty years ago this month, Australian stations at Muchea & Red Lake tracked Friendship 7 on the first American manned orbital flight.

March 2012

See Hamish Lindsay’s 8mm footage of the construction of Carnarvon Tracking Station.


Honeysuckle featured April 2012
Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 16 40th anniversary

Celebrations at Honeysuckle after the return of Apollo 16 – launched April 17 (AEST) 1972.

Apollo 13 42nd anniversary

John Saxon & Mike Dinn in simulations on the Ops Console before Apollo 13, April 1970.


Other Stations featured April 2012
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Apollo 13 42nd anniversary

ARIA 4 acquires Apollo 13 after blackout. Onboard audio –18 April 1970.

DSS-43 39th anniversary

Australian PM Gough Whitlam opens DSS-43 at Tidbinbilla on April 13 1973.

“Our Time”
by Gene Kranz

Essay by Flight Director Gene Kranz – in the “Last Days” section.


Honeysuckle featured May 2012
Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 10 43rd anniversary

Live television from Apollo 10 – as photographed at the Honeysuckle video console, 26 May 1969.

Deep Space days

Scott Hendry, Pete Gavin, Tony Gerada and Tony Salvage at Honeysuckle c. 1980.


Other Stations featured May 2012
featured
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Australian stations in TIB

Goddard’s Technical Information Bulletin reports Parkes will support AS-506 (i.e. Apollo 11).

Ascension Island

Ascension was the most isolated of all the MSFN stations, with no married accommodation.


Honeysuckle featured June 2012
Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Honeysuckle People Cartoon

Mike Linney drew this ‘Ettamogah Pub’ cartoon of Honeysuckle Creek. It was autographed by many of the staff and visitors between 1966 and 1972.

Apollo Mission Simulations

Goddard Sim team leader Kermit Blaney, with Mike Evenett, Tony Gerada, Phil Lewin and Neil Sandford at the HSK Sim console.
Goddard sims. Apollo Sim System.


Other Stations featured June 2012
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Richard Nafzger

Hear these interviews with Dick Nafzger, the Goddard engineer responsible for Apollo TV ground support.

In the Interviews section.

Carnarvon captured

A unique collection of 50 photos by Hamish Lindsay, capturing operations at Carnarvon in 1965-66. See also the NASA film made for the station opening.

Lloyd Bott

“My purpose in putting these documents together was to place on record how close were the relationships between U.S. and Australia in those great achievements…”


Apollo 11 – Honeysuckle featured July 2012
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Hamish Lindsay’s essay on Apollo 11.

Prime Minister visits HSK on the day.

First hand accounts: Apollo 11 at HSK.

featured featured featured

Apollo 11 audio recorded at HSK.

HSK comms loops as the Moonwalk begins.

The Station Log for Apollo 11.


Apollo 11 - Other Stations featured July 2012
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The launch from the NC & FD loops.

The launch as seen from 43,000 feet.

New audio of Eagle’s descent and landing.

featured featured featured

Walter Cronkite
visits Goldstone.

Television Camera
carried to the Moon.

Apollo 11 TV Ground Support.

featured featured featured

Parkes to Sydney
TV signal path.

Western Australia sees the TV.

Sydney Video celebrates.

featured featured featured
A Penguin Award for the Apollo 11 telecasts. Qantas Captain
sees re-entry.
‘The Moon Men’
visit Sydney.

Honeysuckle Creek featured August 2012
featured
featured featured

Honeysuckle Honeys and songs of HSK.

The perils
of getting to work.

Apollo 15
41st anniversary.


Other Stations featured August 2012
featured
featured
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DSS41 staff photo – can you help with IDs?.

The Principles
of Communication.

Orroral Valley book to be launched soon.


With thanks for Neil Armstrong, “Reluctant hero”
Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Neil Armstrong, first man on the Moon, died August 25, 2012 (US time).

Wonderful interview recorded in Sydney, August 2011.

Neil’s address to the CPAA event in Sydney, 24 August 2011.
Message to Australian Space Trackers, July 2009.

(Photos: Left, Neil in Sydney, 23 August 2011. Right, Tidbinbilla mourns, 31 August 2012, photo Glen Nagle CDSCC.)


Honeysuckle Creek featured November 2012
featured
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The News from HSK during Apollo 8.

HSK Ops areas
by Bryan Sullivan.

HSK Epilogue
the legacy.


Other Stations featured November 2012
featured
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Neil says thanks
to the MSFN.

Tidbinbilla
early days.

CRO Revisited
New space museum.

featured featured featured
Parkes support
of Voyager 2.
Cooby Creek
and TV via ATS.
WRESAT at 45
Australia’s 1st satellite.

Honeysuckle Creek featured December 2012
featured

Also featured December 2012
featured
featured featured

Apollo 8
Honeysuckle audio.

Ode to Challenger
the last Lunar Module.

Last Sim flight to Oz – for Apollo 17.


Featured January 2013
featured
featured featured

Tidbinbilla
staff photos.

A17 lunar landing
updated HSK audio.

Fire at Tid
during Apollo 11.


Featured February 2013
featured featured featured

Near Coll Tower
HSK Sim System

Hear an HSK SRT
Station Readiness Test

1976 Team Photos
from Honeysuckle


Friendship 7 – 51st Anniversary
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On February 20, 1962
Gerry O’Connor (centre) at Muchea Tracking Station became the first Australian to hail a space traveller when he established communications with Astronaut John Glenn on his first orbit, and then passed the circuit to Capcom Gordo Cooper (right).

And not forgetting the cost
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Remembering the C47 Dakota which crashed near Muchea
during Project Mercury support.


Featured March 2013
featured featured featured

Apollo 9 44th anniv
New launch audio

Apollo 9 and HSK
by Hamish Lindsay

featured featured featured

Honeysuckle opens
17th March 1967

Apollo 17
Groundtrack charts

Honeysuckle today
Not forgotten


Featured April 2013
featured featured featured

DSS-43 at Tid
Big dish turns 40

Apollo 13 rescue
Thanks at HSK

Winter wonderland
Snow at Honeysuckle

featured featured featured

DSS-43
Construction photos

DSS-43 opening
E G Whitlam speech

DSS-43
Schematic


Featured May 2013

DSS-43 Tidbinbilla 40th anniversary celebrations, 13th April 2013.

Featured June 2013
featured featured featured

HSK Opening
Better audio

Carnarvon Opening
Minister’s speech

Gemini V
Carnarvon audio

featured featured featured

TIB Vol. 1 No. 1
The first MSFN TIB

Building Orroral
Early scenes

Apollo 7 TV
as heard at TEX


Apollo 11 44th Anniversary

Canberra's Finest Hour

Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st July 2013 at Questacon in Canberra.
Many of the events are free Saturday events & Sunday events.

(More Info and Schedule from John Saxon.)


Featured July 2013
‘For All the People Back on Earth’
Hear the Apollo 8 Christmas message with new ears.
And other onboard audio from Apollo 8 while in lunar orbit.

Featured July 2013
featured featured featured

Borman & Schirra
visit Australia, 1966

1st live TV from Oz
Carnarvon 1966

At HSK on the day
21 July 1969


Featured August 2013
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Visitors
to Honeysuckle

HSK & Apollo 15
42nd anniversary

Apollo 15
support at Parkes


Honeysuckle featured photoRemembering Peter Pockley

As the pioneering ABC Science Broadcaster, Peter was an enthusiastic supporter of Australian efforts in space tracking, exploration and astronomy. Tribute here.


Featured November 2013
featured featured featured

HSK Honeys
new recording

HSK Hardware
UNIVAC 642B cards

T H O’Connor
Honeysuckle builder

featured featured featured

Cooby Creek
Installation

Cooby Creek
47th anniversary

Sounds of Telemetry
Woomera Minitrack

featured featured featured

Satellite Comms
Australia’s story

Press arrangements
for the A11 EVA

Apollo 12
44th anniversary

featured featured featured

JFK
News reaches CRO

Des Barnsley
WRESAT

Stan Lebar
on the A12 TV camera


Featured April 2014
featured
featured
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Apollo 13 Re-entry
ARIA 4 acquires

Apollo 13 rescue
Thanks at HSK

“Our Time”
by Gene Kranz

Canberra's Finest Hour

Apollo 13 Returns from the Moon – early on 18th April AEST 1970.


Featured June 2014
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DSS43 Tidbinbilla
Super 8 footage of the opening ceremony.

First Day Covers
HSK and elsewhere for Apollo, Skylab.

Jack Garman
on the Apollo Guidance Computer.


25 June 2014 – 50th Anniversary of the Opening of Carnarvon
featured featured featured

Dept Supply footage
of the opening ceremony.

Hamish’s footage
of construction and the opening.

Carnarvon welcome
to the Network from NASA Goddard.

 

July 2014

Apolo 11 45th

45th Anniversary of Apollo 11


Chris Kraft letter

Letter to the 45th anniversary Lunch from Chris Kraft. (360kb PDF file.)


August 2014
featured featured featured

Mrs O’Donahue
saves the day.

It’s a dog’s life
at Ascension Island.

Tall Tales
from The Linney Files.

Featured: October 2014

featured featured featured

Preparing for Apollo
at Honeysuckle.

Apollo 7
46th anniversary.

Hazards of
The Apollo Road.


Featured November 2014
featured featured featured
Apollo 12: 15–25 November 1969

LOS Don Gray
featured

With great sadness we hear that Don Gray, Honeysuckle Creek Station Director, January 1970 to February 1978, has died in Canberra.

Learn more about Don here.


Remembering Mariner IV at 50
featured featured featured
Launched 28 November 1964

and Australia’s first satellite – WRESAT
featured featured featured
Launched 29 November 1967

 

Featured December 2014
Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8

First flight to the Moon
December 1968.

Apollo 17

Last flight to the Moon
December 1972.


Featured February 2015
featured featured featured

Ned Kelly
Woomera Minitrack.
Interview.

Gerry O’Connor
Muchea Comm tech and Friendship 7.

Thomas Paine
NASA Administrator
visits Honeysuckle.


News

Celebrating 50 years of one of the world’s great tracking stations.

(Graphic courtesy of, and designed by, Glen Nagle, CDSCC.)


Featured March 2015
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MOCR audio of the A11 landing, and a musical tribute. (Also hear The Other Side.)

Tidbinbilla Tracking Station (CDSCC)
turns 50, opens 19th March 1965.

Apollo MSFN Station Honeysuckle Creek opens 17th March 1967.


Featured April 2015

On March 16 2006, during his talk at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, Westinghouse Lunar TV Camera Manager Stan Lebar spoke about how the Westinghouse Color Camera was used to show the launch of Apollo 13 on April 11 1970.
___________________________________

Other highlights for the 45th anniversary of the mission
from the Apollo 13 section:

Honeysuckle featured photo

ARIA 4 hears Apollo 13 return from the Moon – 18 April 1970


Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Tidbinbilla early days

DSS-43 opens – 13 April 1973

Honeysuckle featured photo

HSK opens – updated scan


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Gemini IV, supported by Carnarvon Tracking Station, June 1965.

(Larger graphic.)


featured

Featured: Apollo 15, 26 July – 08 August 1971

Apollo 15


Featured: 15th August 2015

George Mueller

Updated scan: Hamish Lindsay’s classic photo of Dr. George Mueller,(1918 – 2015),, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, at HSK, 6 January 1967.


Featured: GT-5, 50th anniversary

GT-5

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gemini 5, 21 – 29 August 1965.
Supported by Carnarvon Tracking Station.
Hear audio recorded at Carnarvon.


Featured: October 2015

featured featured featured

47th anniv Apollo 7
mission audio.

HSK kangaroos
on the Moon.

Buzz’s face
and other details.

 

Featured: November 2015

featured featured featured
Apollo 12: 15–25 November 1969

 

Featured: December 2015

Canberra's Finest Hour


Featured December 2015
featured
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Apollo 8
Honeysuckle audio.

Search for the Spurs
during Apollo 8.

Last Sim flight to Oz – for Apollo 17.


Apollo 8: 21st – 28th December 1968

The second half of Apollo 8’s fourth television broadcast
synchronised with the onboard audio.

See excerpts from the onboard TV.

Hear also air-ground audio recorded at Honeysuckle Creek.

This and more in the Apollo 8 section.


Anniversaries coming up in 2016
featured featured featured

Guam MSFN
Station opens

1966

Borman & Schirra visit Australia
12-13 March 1966

Cooby Creek ATS Station opens
22 October 1966

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First satellite TV Australia - UK link
25 November 1966

First US satellite TV received in Oz
05 December 1966

HSK supports Viking 1 landing on Mars
July 1976

See also.


Featured photo: Voyager II encounters Uranus, 25 January 1986
featured

Featured photo: Voyager II encounters Uranus, 25 January 1986
featured

At Tidbinbilla / At Parkes.

Featured photo: Red Lake (Woomera) Telemetry Building
featured

 

February 2016

featured

The sad loss has been announced of Apollo 14 Moonwalker Ed Mitchell.

Our Apollo 14 section (with a new essay by Hamish Lindsay) is in the works and will be available soon.


featured

On the anniversary of the flight of Friendship 7 (20th February 1962), Journalist John Penlington shares his experience of covering the flight at Muchea Tracking Station.


Honeysuckle photo of the month
Honeysuckle photo of the month

New Muchea photos

Glenis Wilkerson & Freda Ash in the Teletype area at Muchea.

HSK and ORR Heritage listed

External link to ABC News,
12th February 2016.



01 March 2016

Honeysuckle photo of the month
Honeysuckle photo of the month

Vale Cliff Smith – Parkes mourns original team member.


Featured, March 2016

Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Prime Minister Robert Menzies opens Tidbibilla, 19 March 1965.
Opening audio now online.

Prime Minister Harold Holt opens Honeysuckle, 17 March 1967.
Photos and audio.

Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Honeysuckle under construction, May 1966. New footage.

Apollo 9, first manned flight of the LM, March 1969.


Gene Cernan coming to Australia: May 27 – June 2, 2016
featured

Stan Lebar at the National Museum of Australia
for the Apollo Reunion, 16 March 2006

More on Stan’s visit, and the 2006 Apollo Reunion, on this page.


Featured May 2016
featured
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DSN pioneers
awarded for Mariner 2

FOR SALE
DSS-41 Island Lagoon

Viking Scientist
briefs Australians

featured featured featured

Woomera paintings
by Pat Delgado

Surveyor 1 story
by Bill Mellberg

Expo ’67 TV
rx’d at Cooby Creek


Featured June 2016
featured
featured featured featured

Supporting Surveyor
at Tidbinbilla

Johnstone & French
Prince Charming Award

Surveyor 1 story
by Bill Mellberg


News

News

 

Featured: Apollo 11 47th anniversary, July 2016
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Apollo 11 audio files


Also featured

featured
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Chuck Koscielski
Goldstone and Island Lagoon stories

Chris Kraft
speaks to the Carnarvon Rotary Club

Viking 1 on Mars
Celebrating the 40th anniversary


Honeysuckle Creek featured August 2016
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Honeysuckle Honeys sing songs of HSK.

The perils
of getting to work.

Apollo 15
45th anniversary.


Featured September 2016
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Cooby installation
September 1966.

HSK mug shots
August 1967.

Rees and Shepard
at HSK Sept 1968.


Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle photo of the month

21 September 2016:

We are sad to report that Jack Garman has died in Houston, at the age of 72.

Jack’s “fifteen seconds of fame” (as he put it) came during the Apollo 11 powered descent to the lunar surface. Computer alarms from the LM computer threatened to abort the landing, but Jack, in the AGC Staff Support Room, called a “GO”. Steve Bales (“Guidance”) in the MOCR relayed the “GO” to Flight Director Gene Kranz. Jack was “the only person on the planet” who knew, straight away, what the 1202 and 1201 computer alarms meant.

Hear a 9 minute (10MB) excerpt from Jack’s console audio during the Apollo 11 descent and landing. His voice is heard on the left channel, from 45 seconds. Full audio at the link below.

We interviewed Jack for the Honeysuckle Creek website in April 2014.

 

Featured October 2016

Featured

Featured

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of
Cooby Creek Tracking Station, Cooby Creek, Queensland.

And more on the celebrations from coobytrackingstation.com.

Featured

Featured

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of
Cooby Creek Tracking Station, Cooby Creek, Queensland.

And more on the celebrations from coobytrackingstation.com.

 

Featured November 2016

Featured
Larger image

Featured
Featured

Featured
Click the image to see a highly edited version of the broadcast, courtesy of the ABC. (23MB mp4 file.)

50th Anniversary of Down Under Comes Up Live

On November 25th 1966, viewers across the United Kingdom saw the first live television pictures to be sent by satellite from Australia – from the brand new OTC Earth Station at Carnarvon, via Intelsat IIa.

Read about it in the Carnarvon OTC section. See also, “Down Under Comes Up Live” by Cyril Vahtrick, in the OTC section.

(More to come later this month.)


Featured
Larger image

 

Featured December 2016


Remembering John Glenn (1921 – 2016)
first American to orbit the Earth.

Honeysuckle featured photo

More in the Friendship 7 pages in the Muchea Tracking Station section.

and hear audio of the Friendship 7 mission as it was recorded at the Red Lake Tracking Station (Woomera).


This message from John Glenn was sent to the people of Perth, and all who tracked him on his passage across Australia, for the 50th anniversary of his flight in 2012.

“I’ve recalled it so often, almost daily since then, that it just seems like it was yesterday to me.’


Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

5th December 1966
First satellite television from the USA to be received in Australia.
At the OTC Carnarvon Earth Station.

Honeysuckle featured photo Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8
Rod Lindrea, Graham Fraser and Alan Foster man the Honeysuckle Receivers during the first manned flight to the Moon,
21-28 December 1968.

Apollo 17
John Vanderkly and Brian Hale in the Honeysuckle Creek recorders section, just after the first EVA. It is 10:50:53pm AEDT on Tuesday December 12, 1972.


Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 17: 7-20 December 1972.


Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8: 21-28 December 1968.
Station Director Tom Reid at the Honeysuckle Ops Console during the first manned flight to the Moon.
Photo: Don Witten. (More of his photos here.)


Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8: Status report, 1034Z 24 December 1968. (On the TWXs page.)


Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8: Status report, 0637Z 25 December 1968. (On the TWXs page.)

Air/ground audio, recorded at Honeysuckle, here, onboard audio here.
Television, received at Goldstone and Madrid, here.


Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8: Status report, 2200Z 27 December 1968. (On the TWXs page.)


January 2017

Significant 50th Anniversaries in 2017
featured featured featured

Apollo 1 accident
27 January 1967

Our World
26 June 1967

WRESAT
29 November 1967


Honeysuckle featured photo

NASA Tribute here.

Hear Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt land on the Moon in December 1972.

And listen to “Tomorrow” – a tribute to Apollo 17, using Cernan and Schmitt’s words from the lunar surface, at the end of EVA 3.

Honeysuckle featured photo

Gene Cernan (left) at CDSCC in 2016, with CDSCC Director Dr Ed Kruzins, Mike Dinn and Hamish Lindsay. Photo credit to CDSCC.

Honeysuckle featured photo

Hamish Lindsay, John Saxon, Gene Cernan, Mike Dinn and Dr Ed Kruzins. Photo credit to CDSCC.


Remembering the crew of Apollo 1 – 27 January 1967
Honeysuckle featured photo

March 2017

Honeysuckle


Watch this report of the Honeysuckle Creek opening ceremony.

And hear the opening ceremony.


70 second home movie of the Opening Day –
recorded and narrated by John Saxon.


Honeysuckle


Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle


HSK 50th
HSK 50th

900kb PDF.

larger: 7MB PDF.

700kb PDF.

larger: 5MB PDF.

Special thanks to Glen Nagle at CDSCC for producing these lovely commemorative posters. Design ideas and images by Hamish Lindsay.

 

April 2017

Honeysuckle featured photoFifty years before “Stargazing Live” from Siding Spring

This month, ABC-TV screened the Australian version of the BBC’s “Stargazing Live” from Siding Spring Observatory in the Warrumbungles.

Fifty years ago, ABC Science Unit founder,
Dr. Peter Pockley
, pioneered the concept, with two in-depth programmes broadcast in November 1966 – “The Astronomers of Siding Spring” and “The Astronomers of Parkes”.

Hear this excerpt from an interview with Dr. Pockley, recorded in 2010, where he tells the story.


“Stargazing Live” featured the Apollo 13 story.

Learn the real story of Apollo 13, and the Australian connection, below –


Apollo 13 mission patch

Apollo 13 section includes –

Essay by Hamish Lindsay; Pre-mission Simulations;
Launch video; Audio interviews; Honeysuckle Comms;
Re-entry; Thanks for support of the mission.

 

May 2017

News

Honeysuckle Creek before opening – by Ian Hahn.

Taken from the water tank. New scan. Large (460kb), Larger (2.2MB).

(More high res scans to come. Earlier scans here.)

 

June 2017

GT-4

Gemini IV – 52nd anniversary.

A key early mission for Carnarvon. 4 – 6 June 1965.


50th Anniversaries

Honeysuckle photo of the month
Honeysuckle photo of the month

Expo '67 from Montreal
7th June 1967,
broadcast from the Australian pavilion, received at Cooby Creek.

Our World, the first global television broadcast, 26th June 1967 – relayed into and out of Australia via Cooby Creek.


Founder of the ABC’s Science Unit, Dr. Peter Pockley (1935 - 2013) spoke about the Australian contribution to Our World in this excerpt from an interview recorded for honeysucklecreek.net in 2010.

Direct link to Vimeo.

To put the above segment into context,
listen to the previous segment (audio only, at this stage).


Watch the first few minutes of Our World, as it was seen in Australia.

The presenter is the ABC’s James Dibble. Video courtesy WA TV History.

 

July 2017 – Apollo 11 48th Anniversary


featured

Most of the Honeysuckle Creek team, July 1969.


Interviews relating to Apollo 11

Mike Dinn – Honeysuckle Deputy Director.
Kevin Gallegos – Honeysuckle SDDS.
Ed von Renouard
, Honeysuckle Video.
Bryan Sullivan
– Honeysuckle Computers.

Don Gray – Tidbinbilla Station Director (see part 8).

Dick Nafzger – Goddard, Apollo TV Ground Support Engineer.
Jack Garman – Houston, Apollo Guidance Computer.

Bruce Ekert – PMG, HSK-Sydney microwave links.
Wayne Ozarko – OTC, at Sydney Video.
Ian Mackenzie – ATN-7 Sydney, at Sydney Video.
Allan Hullett – ABC-TV Engineer, Perth.


How the TV would have looked if the camera had been mounted horizontally.

On Vimeo. Also on this page in the Apollo 11 TV section.


Stan Lebar, Program Manager for Westinghouse Lunar Television Cameras, spoke in Canberra, tells two stories of how people saw the live television from the lunar surface. March 2006.

On Vimeo. Also on this page in the Apollo 11 TV section.


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The NASCOM Deakin Switch in Canberra was NASA’s switching centre for this region of the world. Kevyn Westbrook is standing at right.

Above: New scan of one of Hamish Lindsay’s slides. Large, Larger.


Featured August 2017
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Winter wonderland
Snow at Honeysuckle

HSK & Apollo 15
46th anniversary

Apollo 15
support at Parkes


September 2017

News

New photos of Muchea Tracking Station, 1962.


News

Follow Cassini’s final plunge into Saturn via Canberra DSN on Twitter, or JPL.
Image: Glen Nagle, CDSCC.


News

DSS-43 at Tidbinbilla / CDSCC on Wednesday 6th September 2017 – the 40th anniversary of the launch of Voyager 1.




October 2017

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A new photo of the Honeysuckle team after Apollo 11.


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“I was tremendously impressed by the quality of the technical people here, and their eagerness. … The Honeysuckle Creek site is in by far the most beautiful location. In the mountains, the foothills of the Australian Alps, with green vegetation. Hard to take.”

– One of the key MSFN and Unified S-Band architects, Howard Kyle, visited Honeysuckle Creek in April 1969. Read his impressions on the Visitors page. See the above photo on this page.


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The 70 metre dish of DSS-43 at Tidbinbilla points far to the south on Wednesday 27th September 2017. It was tracking Voyager 2, now 155.7 AU from Earth, with a Round Trip Light Time of 32 hours and 4 minutes.

CDSCC is now the only DSN station capable of communicating with Voyager 2, due to the spacecraft’s southerly trajectory.

 

November 2017

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Remembering Apollo 12: 15th – 25th November 1969.


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From Apollo 17 Astronaut, Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt, the last man to step onto the lunar surface:

“I have undertaken a long-running project to write a personal account of the Apollo 17 Mission on which I flew to the Moon as the Lunar Module Pilot and scientist. This diary also attempts to integrate much of the mission’s scientific results to date with the operations that were necessary to explore the valley of Taurus-Littrow.”

– from the Author’s Note.

Read the first instalment of Apollo 17: Diary of the 12th Man at Dr. Schmitt’s website, AmericasUncommonSense.com.


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The Honeysuckle Creek antenna, June 1972. Photo: Hamish Lindsay.


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Message from Christopher Kraft, 14 March 1974, on the occasion of Honeysuckle leaving the Manned Space Flight Network.


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Planning for the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11.

 

December 2017

Apollo 8 reaches the Moon – Tuesday 24 December 1968.

Apollo 8 Hear the moments leading up to LOS – as recorded direct from the downlink at Honeysuckle.

140kb mp3. 1' 08". Starting at 068:57:06 GET. Honeysuckle was prime at this point.

More on this page in the Apollo 8 section.


The Genesis Reading from Apollo 8 – December 24/25 1968.


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Vale Bruce McCandless – seen here as Capcom in the MOCR during the Apollo 11 EVA. (Frame from 16mm film.)

News release from NASA HQ.


Here is a message from Bruce McCandless to the Australian space trackers, for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, July 2009.


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At Honeysuckle Creek, Holland, Hicks and Cross are GO for Apollo 8’s Trans Lunar Injection.


Apollo 8 Network Status Check.


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Harold Holt (disappeared 17 December 1967) at the opening of Honeysuckle Creek the previous March.


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Senior staff at DSS-41 Island Lagoon, circa October 1968.

January 2018

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Audio files from Philip Clark of Orroral Valley’s support of STS-1, the first orbital Space Shuttle flight – and learn about Philip’s planned book, The Final Orbit, and the associated Kickstarter campaign.


Philip Clark assembled, and added commentary to, 8mm footage he shot at Orroral Valley. A great introduction to the station!


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07 January 2018 – NASA remembers John Young.

(Hear John Young and Charlie Duke land on the Moon on Apollo 16.)


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Three years to the day before the first manned lunar landing, this photo of Gemini 10 (with John Young and Mike Collins onboard) and the Gemini 8 Agena Target Vehicle was taken from Woomera by the Baker-Nunn tracking camera.

Photo and notes by Ed von Renouard. Ed writes:

“Woomera, 21.07.1966, 0523 local time.

Gemini 10 and Agena prior to rendezvous, Gemini below and to the right, separation appr. 2 miles, slant range appr. 700 miles.

The Baker-Nunn Camera was tracking at appr. twice the rate of the two vehicles in order to overtake and photograph them (shortly after this exposure, they were lost below the horizon).

The four stars [click image for the full picture] are small stars in Taurus.”

Full photo, Key. Loaned to Hamish Lindsay. Scan by Colin Mackellar.
(This will go in the GT-10 section – once it is created!)

 

February 2018

Remembering Friendship 7, 20-21 February 1962

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Project Mercury Aeromedical Flight Controllers, May 1960.

Honeysuckle photo of the month
Honeysuckle photo of the month

Celebrating MA-6 at Muchea.

Flight Controllers at Woomera.


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The MSFN Inspection Team at Honeysuckle Creek, 6th January 1967.


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Most of the Honeysuckle Team, August 1967.


March 2018

Google Street View released for Honeysuckle and Orroral
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Orroral Valley

Google Trekker

Honeysuckle Creek

Thanks to ACT Parks and Conservation Service and many helpers, Street View imagery has been added to Google Maps – of Honeysuckle Creek, the track to the Collimation Tower, and also of Orroral Valley!

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Honeysuckle’s Opening Day – 17 March 1967.
New photos.


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Honeysuckle’s station log for Apollo 15.

 

Featured April 2018.

Apollo 13 mission patch

Remembering Apollo 13

12–18 April 1970

Essay by Hamish Lindsay; Pre-mission Simulations;
Launch video; Audio interviews; Honeysuckle Comms;
Re-entry; Thanks for support of the mission.


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Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert work on water management in Aquarius in a new composite photo.


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After an agonisingly long blackout, ARIA 4 brought news of the successful re-entry of Apollo 13.
( audio 3 minute composite audio clip of acquisition.
Left channel: ARIA 4, Right: Mission Control, 1.5MB.)


Apollo 16 mission patch

Remembering Apollo 16

17–28 April 1972

Essay by Hamish Lindsay; Audio and Video; Honeysuckle station log.

May 2018

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Remembering Alan Bean

We are saddened to report that Apollo 12 and Skylab Astronaut Alan Bean (right) has died in Houston.

Alan, along with Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon, journeyed to the Moon onboard Apollo 12 in November 1969.

Here Pete and Al land on the lunar surface, on 19 November 1969.

“Alan Bean is one of the great renaissance men of his generation — engineer, fighter pilot, astronaut and artist.” – Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt.


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Visitors
to Honeysuckle

Apollo 15
Qantas souvenir

Apollo 15
support at Parkes


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With the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 approaching, Phil Cummings and Glyn Lehmann have written four songs of the Space Race. (External link)


Something different: The British band, Public Service Broadcasting (who have just toured Australia), performed their song “Go!”, about the Apollo 11 lunar landing, at Brixton Academy in London in November 2015.

 

June 2018.

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Honeysuckle’s Bryan Sullivan outlines how the Honeysuckle Creek Apollo Tracking Station worked. In the Station section.

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On 29 September 1967, Station Director Tom Reid watches as Goddard Simulation team leader George Harris is farewelled by the station mascot. Read more in Hamish Lindsay’s essay in Preparing for Apollo.

 

July 2018.

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The Honeysuckle Apollo 11 Team

Most of Honeysuckle Creek’s team for Apollo 11, photographed in front of the dish by Hamish Lindsay in early August 1969.

Full frame, Larger (2.6MB).

See the new scans of the HSK Apollo 11 team photos.


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Honeysuckle featured

New Book – to be released in November 2018.

“Honeysuckle Creek reveals the pivotal role that the tracking station at that location, near Canberra, played in the first moon walk.

Andrew Tink gives a gripping account of the role of its director Tom Reid and his colleagues in transmitting some of the most-watched images in human history as Neil Armstrong took his first step.

Part biography and part personal history, Honeysuckle Creek makes a significant contribution to the story of Australia’s role in space exploration.”

– Thanks to NewSouth Publishing and author Andrew Tink for these sneak previews of the draft front and back covers.

Click the images for larger versions.


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Hamish Lindsay used the station’s cherrypicker to capture this classic winter photo of Honeysuckle Creek.

Large, Larger (4.3MB). More photos of snow at Honeysuckle.

August 2018

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Honeysuckle Creek tracks Apollo 15

As darkness fell, on Wednesday 4th August 1971, Hamish Lindsay took this photo of the Honeysuckle Creek antenna tracking Apollo 15 in lunar orbit. The CSM was in its 68th revolution of the Moon

The photo was taken from around this spot between two boulders adjacent to the antenna pad.

Negative scan and image processing: Colin Mackellar.
(This image has been pushed to bring out details.)


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Earlier, some time after 4:00pm, Hamish took this photo of the Moon rising above the Honeysuckle Operations Building. (The Moon has risen at 2:25pm sunset was at 5:23pm.)

The Apollo 15 crew had completed their lunar surface activities, and were back together in Lunar Orbit. The CSM was in its 67th revolution of the Moon. Negative scan: Colin Mackellar.

 

Featured: September 2018.


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Ian Anderson

Honeysuckle servo console 1966

Kevyn Westbrook

Deakin NASCOM Switch c 1974

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Bruce Window

MOTS at Island Lagoon c 1963

MSFN Inspection Team

at Tidbinbilla, January 1967


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Featured essay:

With the 50th anniversary of Apollo 7 coming up, Hamish Lindsay recounts Honeysuckle’s Creek preparations to support manned Apollo missions.

In Septrember 1968, just a month before Apollo 7, astronaut Alan Shepard visited Honeysuckle Creek. He is seen here with Station Director Tom Reid.


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Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 EVA

See the Apollo 11 section.

 

Featured: October 2018

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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo flight, 12–22 October 1968.

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“I can still remember the excitement at HSK as we were about hear US voices on the downlink for the first time.” – Bryan Sulllivan.

Apollo 7

Apollo 7’s Donn Eisele and Wally Schirra during their first TV broadcast.


News and Jottings

JPL Deputy Director, Larry James, is speaking at Questacon on Wednesday 17th October at 6:30pm, as part of NASA’s 60th Anniversary celbrations. Details here.


News and Jottings

This souvenir was produced to mark NASA’s 15th Anniversary in October 1973. Kept by Bernard Smith. Click for a 2 page PDF file.

 

Featured: November 2018.

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Now live – The Apollo 11 50th Anniversary (in Australia) website.

External link.


Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Honeysuckle Creek
The story of Tom Reid, a little dish, and Neil Armstrong’s First Step
– by Andrew Tink

Released 01 November 2018.

“A wonderful and inspirational story, beautifully told. As hard as it is to do this extraordinary yarn justice, Andrew Tink has done it.” – Peter FitzSimons.

Click here for more about the book.

Royal Australian Mint Moon Landing Coins to commemorate the Moon Landing.

Released 01 November 2018.

Click here for the Royal Australian Mint catalogue page (PDF) – or here for a high res scan of the catalogue image of the coins (3MB jpg).

Also read the text on the back of the uncirculated coins set.

Click here for more about the coins.


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Apollo 12
15-25 November 1969
49th anniversary

Stan Lebar
on the Apollo 12 TV camera

Des Barnsley
WRESAT Project Manager


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 5, No. 21, 01 November 1968.

The TIBs were published twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on the front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

This TIB was preserved by Goddard’s Dick Nafzger and scanned by Goldtsone’s Bill Wood. Those TIBs already online can be found here.

 

Featured: December 2018.


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Click the image above for a special PDF version of Hamish Lindsay’s Apollo 8 Essay, for the 50th anniversary.

It is a 64 page, 8MB PDF file. Our very special thanks to Glen Nagle for producing this PDF version.

This is a 64-page file that would be ideal for printing, or viewing on a tablet. For best results, save the PDF to your device, and then the audio links will open separately in your web browser.

Hamish’s essay in html format, and other Apollo 8 pages, are in the Apollo 8 section.

tapes

Apollo 8 Audio Highlightsrecorded at Honeysuckle Creek.


Apollo 8 Onboard Audiodownlinked to Honeysuckle Creek.


tapes

Apollo 8 Recollections from space trackers.


tapes

Honeysuckle Creek tracks Apollo 8 on its first lunar orbit.

Photo by Hamish Lindsay, around 9:00pm AEST, Christmas Eve 1968.
Scan by Colin Mackellar.


Apollo 8 – Christmas Day (Australian time) / Christmas Eve (US time) 1968. A message to all the people back on Earth. On Vimeo.

See also the Apollo 8 section.


Hear the Message “for All the People Back on Earth” – with Onboard audio. On Vimeo.


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Apollo 8
Honeysuckle audio.

Search for the Spurs
during Apollo 8.

The News from HSK during Apollo 8.


Laurie

Tidings of Comfort and Joy
Carols for HSK / HSKX.

Laurie Turner, Christmas 1972.



Featured: January 2019.

Honeysuckle Creek today

Some aerial footage of Honeysuckle Creek, taken in early January 2019. To see it in full screen, here is a direct link to Vimeo.



The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the MSFN, Vol. 6, No. 1, 03 January 1969. (Click the image for a 5.6MB PDF file)

The TIBs were published twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on the front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

This TIB was preserved by Honeysuckle’s Bernard Smith.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.



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Apollo 8 memorabilia. In the Apollo 8 section.


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See the special PDF version of Hamish Lindsay’s Apollo 8 Essay, for the 50th anniversary.

It is a 64 page, 8MB PDF file.

In the Apollo 8 section.

NASA Acting Administrator Thomas Paine thanks the Australian Minister for Supply, Senator Ken Anderson, for Australian support of Apollo 8.

On this page in the Apollo 8 section.

 

Featured: February 2019.

Celebrations at Muchea, February 1962
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Teletype Operator Glenis Wilkerson celebrates her 21st Birthday at Muchea Tracking Station, while waiting for the (delayed) launch of John Glenn’s Friendship 7.

RAAF Flight Surgeon Warren Bishop with US Flight Surgeon Ed Beckman and Capcom Astronaut Gordon Cooper celebrate at Muchea after Friendship 7.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 3, 20 February 1969. (Click the image for a 4.2MB PDF file)

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on the front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago. This TIB was preserved by Honeysuckle’s Bernard Smith. Those already online can be found here.


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Caltex Distributor (and local identity) Val Jeffery, and assistant Rex Eades, deliver fuel to Honeysuckle Creek. From The Caltex Dealer and Distributor, Fourth Quarter, 1966.


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People at Carnarvon, 1964. From a four-page liftout on the Dedication of Carnarvon Tracking Station.

 

Featured: March 2019.


Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Prime Minister Robert Menzies opens Tidbinbilla, 19 March 1965.

Prime Minister Harold Holt opens Honeysuckle, 17 March 1967.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 4, 20 March 1969. (Click the image for a 4.3MB PDF file)

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on the front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago. This TIB was preserved by Honeysuckle’s Bernard Smith. Those already online can be found here.


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50th Anniversary of Apollo 9, the first manned test of the Lunar Module, 03–13 March 1969.


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Pioneering satellite TV broadcasts out of Australia

In Western Australia, on November 25th 1966, the OTC(A) Carnarvon Satellite Earth Station sent live television of Carnarvon families to their relatives in the UK. Read about it in the Carnarvon OTC section. (See also, “Down Under Comes Up Live” by Cyril Vahtrick, in the OTC section.)

On the Eastern states, on May 14th 1967, the Cooby Creek Transportable Ground Station in Queensland linked Boy Scouts from Toowoomba with their counterparts at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Read about the broadcast in the Cooby Creek section.


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Read Alan Gilham’s story of life in Carnarvon, 1965 – 1967.

 

Featured: April 2019.

Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Pre-mission simulations, at Honeysuckle, of an emergency aboard Apollo 13, April 1970.

Celebrations at Honeysuckle Creek after the safe return of Apollo 16, April 1972.

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Apollo 13 Re-entry
ARIA 4 acquires

Apollo 13 rescue
Thanks at HSK

“Our Time”
by Gene Kranz

Canberra's Finest Hour

Apollo 13 Returns from the Moon – early on 18th April AEST 1970.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 6, 01 April 1969. (Click the image for a 1.6MB PDF file)

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


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Mrs O’Donahue
saves Carnarvon.

It’s a dog’s life
at Ascension Island.

And a cat’s life
at Cooby Creek.


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Honeysuckle Creek and Venus, at dawn, December 1975. New scan.


 

May 2019.

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Apollo 10 – 50th Anniversary

18 – 26 May 1969


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Another version of Hamish Lindsay’s classic Honeysuckle photo.
Scan by Glen Nagle.


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Honeysuckle Creek as seen from the Powerhouse before the opening. Transparency preserved by Bryan Sullivan, scan by Colin Mackellar.


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Updated scan of the Cooby Creek staff, August 1969.


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NASA Associate Administrator George Mueller, in Canberra on 1st December 1969 for a groundbreaking ceremony for DSS43, is presented with Hamish Lindsay’s photo of Honeysuckle tracking Apollo 8.


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DSS42 and 43 Tidbinbilla Viking Shifts, 14th October 1976.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 56 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 5, 03 May 1963.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.

 

June 2019.

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How did the Apollo 11 EVA television reach Europe and the UK? The long way around. Read why here.


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As the Apollo 11 50th anniversary approaches, here’s a vector version of the mission patch. Scalable to any size, it could be useful for designing banners – or for projecting onto the side of the VAB. :-)


Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Click each image for a 700kb PDF file. These were designed for the celebrations in Canberra. You are very welcome to use either. Credit or a link back here would be appreciated.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 8, 05 June 1969.

Australian Stations Since Project Mercury.
Parkes Antenna Will Support AS-506.
A5-506 Now on Pad.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


DSN Operations Manager Richard Mallis is remembered as a pioneer of the Deep Space Network. Richard died on 26th May. In this 2009 video interview, he spoke about the origins of the DSN.

Please also click here for a tribute.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 10, 25 June 1969.

“Two revolutions of the Moon have been added to the flight plan for the Apollo 11 mission to improve communications during critical maneuvers and to allow more time for decontamination of equipment exposed to the lunar environment.”

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


 

Featured: Apollo 11 50th Anniversary – July 2019.

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Moon Week

Moon Week in Canberra

There’s plenty to see and do for everyone during Moon Week in Canberra with many events open to the general public.

The Australian National University has produced a comprehensive and very helpful booklet.

Learn more at this link.


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Most of the Honeysuckle Creek team for Apollo 11.
Photo by Hamish Lindsay. Other photos here.


“We have just switched video to Honeysuckle.” – Houston TV.

What happened with the Apollo 11 TV signal. Who received it, and where did it go? Direct link. More here – including the Honeysuckle audio with transcript.

From Mike Dinn – Some helpful thoughts about over-analysing the past.

“In regard to who did what 50 years ago, it should be borne in mind that this was a real time operation – ensuring that the best available data, up and down (telemetry, command, voice, tv) was selected and sent to and from Houston.

We were, and were expected to be, flexible and responsive to dynamic situations. And be capable of supporting any part of the mission – e.g. landing, EVA, lift off, rendezvous, docking. Further, these capabilities included responding instantly to problems – ground or spacecraft.

So analysing who did what in some ways degrades what we were actually capable of, trained for, and proud of.”


The first step – what the world saw. (Net 2 audio added on right channel.)


The Apollo 11 Moonwalk as seen at Honeysuckle Creek – unique footage.

Honeysuckle Creek’s Video Tech, Ed used his Super 8 movie camera to record the activity at the tracking station – as well as television from the Moon (in real time and also from telemetry tapes immediately afterwards).

Direct link to the video. (Yes, I used the same music for both videos...)



NASA Apollo 11 Audio News Features

In the countdown to the Apollo 11 50th anniversary, listen to these 24 NASA Audio News Features, hosted by broadcaster Willard Scott.


Apollo 11 at Honeysuckle Creek
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Hamish Lindsay’s essay on Apollo 11.

Prime Minister visits HSK on the day.

First hand accounts: Apollo 11 at HSK.

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Apollo 11 audio recorded at HSK.

HSK comms loops as the Moonwalk begins.

The Station Log for Apollo 11.


Apollo 11
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Tidbinbilla – Honeysuckle’s Wing.
Jack Garman & the 1201, 1202 Alarms.
Final Flight Plan
for Apollo 11.
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The launch from the NC & FD loops.

The launch as seen from 43,000 feet.

Network audio of Eagle’s landing.

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Walter Cronkite
visits Goldstone.

Television Camera
carried to the Moon.

Apollo 11 TV Ground Support.

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Parkes to Sydney
TV signal path.

Western Australia sees the TV.

Sydney Video celebrates.

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A Penguin Award for the Apollo 11 TV. Qantas Captain
sees re-entry.
‘The Moon Men’
visit Sydney.

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For the Apollo 11 50th anniversary, here’s a vector version of the mission patch. It’s scalable to any size.


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Kangaroos on the Moon. (Produced for the 40th anniversary.)



The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 11, 20 July 1969.

Apollo 11 Mission a Success.
Honeysuckle Creek Engineer Develops 642B Utility Package.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.

 

Featured: Late July 2019.

Remembering Christopher Columbus Kraft
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Many are remembering and giving thanks for pioneering Flight Director, Christopher Kraft, who has died in Houston. NASA has a tribute here.

Dr Kraft visited Carnarvon as part of his trip to be present at the opening of Honeysuckle Creek in March 1967.


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Message from Christopher Kraft, 14 March 1974, on the occasion of Honeysuckle leaving the Manned Space Flight Network.


The team at Namadgi National Park (the custodians of the Honeysuckle Creek site) produced this video for the Apollo 11 50th anniversary. It includes vision of the new installation erected to remember Apollo 11.

 

Featured: August 2019.


The team at Namadgi National Park (the custodians of the Honeysuckle Creek site) produced this video to remember the 50th anniversary commemoration on 20 July 2019. Direct link to video.

It’s a complement to this earlier video.


Tidbinbilla’s Forgotten Role in Apollo

Honeysuckle featured photo

Published in July 2019, this booklet outlines the key role played in the Apollo Program by HSKX, Honeysuckle Creek’s ‘Wing’ Station at Tidbinbilla.

Download the booklet as a 900kb PDF file, courtesy of John Heath, Bruce Window and Mike Dinn.

(A handful of printed copies are still available from John Heath.)

See also the Tidbinbilla section.


Remembering Carnarvon

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Paul and Joan Dench remember their time in Carnarvon.

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Wally Schirra at Carnarvon – updated photos.


Carnarvon Tracking Station Construction and Opening – 8mm footage from 1963-4 and commentary by Hamish Lindsay. Direct link to video.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 12, 15 August 1969.

MSFN performance for Apollo 11 was summarized in an operations message from the network operations manager to the MSFN on July 24, at 1630Z:

“There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that all of you comprise the greatest tracking network in the world. Your performance was magnificent.”

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


September 2019.

The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 13, 15 September 1969.

The "Royal Golden Shellback Court" aboard the USNS Redstone assembles for the last time following the Apollo 11 mission. The Redstone will no longer be giving Apollo mission support, so the Royal Court held the last initiation of lowly pollywogs into the "Loyal Golden Order of Neptunus Rex" as the MSFN tracking ship crossed latitiude 000° 00' 000", longitude 180° 00' 00" on its return to Victor Pier, Pearl City, Oahu.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.

 

October 2019.

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Darwin stations not forgotten.


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New sign on the Apollo Road.


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Apollo 7, Honeysuckle’s first manned flight, 12–22 October 1968.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 14, 22 October 1969.

5.1 MB PDF file.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.

 

November 2019.

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A Pinpoint Landing

50th Anniversary of the Apollo 12 Mission
15 – 25 November 1969.

Click here for a PDF file of the Manned Flight Awareness crew portraits.

Listen to:
The electifying launch of Apollo,
the “amazing, fantastic” lunar landing,
and Pete Conrad spot Surveyor from the lunar surface,

all recorded at Honeysuckle Creek.

Also see Hamish Lindsay’s Apollo 12 essay.


December 1963 – Goddard Mourns President Kennedy
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Goddard News for 2nd December 1963 marks the loss of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated just ten days earlier in Dallas.

Related: John Lambie on hearing the awful news about President John F. Kennedy.

Scans of Goddard News will be placed here.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 15,
25 November 1969.
4.6 MB PDF file.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


The Apollo 11 crew and their wives in Sydney, Saturday 1st November 1969. (Footage courtesy of Stephen Slater.) More on their visit here.


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Featured

Down Under Comes Up Live – 25 November 1966.

On November 25th 1966, viewers across the United Kingdom saw the first live television pictures to be sent by satellite from Australia – from the brand new OTC Earth Station at Carnarvon, via Intelsat IIa.

Read about it in the Carnarvon OTC section. See also, “Down Under Comes Up Live” by Cyril Vahtrick, in the OTC section.

 

December 2019.

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MSFN Station Directors, July 1967.

Click the image for a 2.3MB two-page PDF file. Also on this page.


Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8

First flight to the Moon
December 1968.

Apollo 17

Last flight to the Moon
December 1972.

On each of the videos below, you might need to click on the link
(or the Vimeo logo) to see it in full screen.

Apollo 8, onboard audio, as downlinked to Honeysuckle Creek.


Apollo 17 EVA 2, Shorty Crater, as seen at Honeysuckle Creek.


Skylab at Honeysuckle CreekSuper 8 footage from John Saxon.


Remembering Stan Lebar.

Stan Lebar, 1925 – 23 December 2009, was Program Manager for the Westinghouse Apollo TV Camera Program.

 

January 2020.

The Manned Space Flight Network, 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 1, 15 January 1970.

5.0 MB PDF file.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


George Mueller

NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, Dr. George Mueller,(1918 – 2015), visited Honeysuckle Creek on 6th January 1967.

He also visited Orroral Valley and Tidbinbilla.

 

February 2020.


Apollo 14

Remembering Apollo 14
1st – 10th February (Australian dates) 1971.


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The Honeysuckle Honeys, 1966.


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Orroral Homestead, 1971.
The historic Orroral Homestead was saved through the efforts of firefighters in the January 2020 Orroral Fire. This is what the homestead looked like in 1971, before restoration.

 

Featured: March 2020.

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle Creek Opening Day, 17th March 1967

Relive the Opening Day.

Watch this report of the Honeysuckle Creek opening ceremony.

And hear the opening ceremony.


Honeysuckle

Tidbinbilla Opening Day, 19th March 1965

Relive the Opening Day.

Watch this report of the Tidbinbilla opening ceremony.

And hear the opening ceremony.

 

Featured: April 2020.

Apollo 13 mission patch

(Dates in Eastern Australia)

Essay by Hamish Lindsay; Pre-mission Simulations;
Launch video; Audio interviews; Honeysuckle Comms;
Re-entry; Thanks for support of the mission, Cheryl Moore’s Tidbinbilla story.


Apollo 13 explosion at 1:07pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday 14 April 1970


Apollo 13 mission patch

Bruce Window’s notes on audio items of interest from the newly-released MOCR console audio recordings.


Apollo 13 mission patch

Glen Nagle has produced a wonderful PDF booklet version of Hamish Lindsay’s Apollo 13 essay. Click the image for a 3.6MB PDF file.



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“For Apollo 13, the MSF and NASCOM networks will provide continuous and instantaneous contact with the astronauts, launch vehicle, and spacecraft from launch to splashdown. The MSFN will also retrieve data from the experiments left on the lunar surface by the astronauts.
During the mission, 30-foot antennas at all 13 MSFN stations will track the spacecraft from launch to a distance of about 10,000 miles. At this point, 85-foot dishes at three prime sites will take over to provide a continuous link for voice, telemetry and tracking data to the Moon and back. It is these three prime antennas that will maintain contact with the two spacecraft during the lunar phase of the mission.

These 85-foot sites are located about 120 degrees apart near Madrid, Spain; Goldstone, California; and Canberra, Australia. Station Directors are Dan Hunter, Madrid; George Fariss, Goldstone; and Don Gray, Canberra. Additional support will come from the 210-foot antenna system at Goldstone.

Linking the MSFN stations, Goddard and the Houston Mission Control Center (MCC), are the nearly three million circuit miles of communication channels in the NASCOM Network. Using satellites, submarine cables, land lines, microwave systems, and high frequency radio facilities for access links, NASCOM is the link through which all Apollo data must flow to and from Houston MCC and the spacecraft.

The NASCOM control center is located here at Goddard. Regional communications switching centers are in London, Madrid, Canberra, Honolulu, and Guam.”

Goddard News for 13th April 1970. Click the image for a 3MB PDF file.

Other scans of Goddard News can be found here.

Related: Neil Armstrong visits Goddard.


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Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert work on water management in Aquarius in this composite photo.

 

May 2020.


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Hear Hamish Lindsay’s 1994 interview with Kevyn Westbrook, Ground Communication Controller at Muchea Space Tracking Station during Project Mercury.


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Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt visits Honeysuckle Creek on 3rd May 1973.

 

June 2020.


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Farewell to the Tidbinbilla Coll Tower – June 2020.


A return to Island Lagoon: Jan Delgado shares some footage she took at Island Lagoon, October 2019.


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Hamish Lindsay speaks with Mike Dinn about Tidbinbilla, Honeysuckle Creek and Apollo. Recorded 29 May 1994 and now published!


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Building Tidbinbilla: Les Tarn.

Members of the DSIF42 construction team, circa September 1964. More Tid construction photos coming soon.

 

July 2020.

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Footage of the speeches at Honeysuckle Creek for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 on Saturday 20th July 2019. External link to Vimeo.


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Carnarvon’s Paul Dench remembered.


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Honeysuckle’s Gillian Schoenborn (nee Morris) with her lovely Textile artwork interpretation of the HSK site. The ghost of the antenna is done in fine silk with machine stitched detail. The “One Small Step” installation depicted in her artwork was unveiled on July 20th 2019.

Photo was taken in the Shepparton Textile Artists Inc Exhibition at Shepparton Art Museum in March. Here’s another photo.


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In July 1969, ANU’s Dr. Stuart Ross Taylor performed the first chemical analysis of the lunar samples returned by Apollo 11. Hamish Lindsay interviewed him in 1994. Audio now available – in the Interviews section.

 

August 2020.


Snapshots of Life at Honeysuckle Creek – with Bryan Sullivan and Hamish Lindsay – recorded in Canberra at Questacon, 21 July 2013.

Full screen version here. (Or click on “Vimeo” above.)

(Apologies for the occasional glitch in the video.)


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Four of the original Tidbinbilla engineering team that was assembled in mid 1963.

L to R – Keith Brockelsby, Receiver Engineer; Clive Jones, Facilities Engineer; Jeff Newnham. Analogue Instrumentation Engineer; and John Heath, Microwave Engineer. (The positions of the four were those they held in 1963).

Photo by Bruce Window at the Apollo 11 50th luncheon, Southern Cross Club, Woden, 21 July 2019.


Bill Wood (Apollo Goldstone) remembers the Apollo 11 EVA – recorded in Canberra at the Apollo 11 Lunch, 21 July 2009.

Full screen version here. (Or click on “Vimeo” above.)

The Polaroid photo Bill mentions can be seen here.

See also his photos of the scan converted TV at Goldstone.


Apollo 15, 26 July – 08 August 1971

Apollo 15

 

September 2020.


Honeysuckle

29 September 1967 – Station Director Tom Reid and the station mascot farewell Goddard Simulation Team Leader George Harris after gruelling simulations tested the station’s readiness.


Honeysuckle

Giving thanks for David Cooke.


Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle Creek: An idyllic setting.
Photo: Ian Grant.


Alan Shepard visits Honeysuckle Creek, 9th September 1968.
For full screen, watch on Vimeo.


News

News
The “Mercury Seven” Astronauts.
Photo given to Dr Ed Beckman, Aeromed at Muchea.

 

October 2020.


Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle’s early days.

A lonely figure walks beside the original track to Honeysuckle, along the side of Dead Man’s Hill, in this 1966 transparency by Ian Hahn.

See the updated scans of Ian’s slides here.


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Apollo 7, Honeysuckle’s first manned flight, 12–22 October 1968.


Remembering Tom Reid MBE, ten years on.
(Tom died in October 2010. This brief tribute was put together at the time.)

Full screen version.


Honeysuckle

1994 interview with Tom Reid, by Hamish Lindsay.

Published for the first time.


Apollo 16 TV as seen at Honeysuckle Creek.
For full screen, watch on Vimeo.


News
Bill Shaw inspects wild pig damage near the Honeysuckle entrance gate.



November 2020.

featured featured featured
Apollo 12: 15–25 November 1969.

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Members of the team who supported Apollo 12 at Parkes, November 1969
Photo by Bruce Window.

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Hamish Lindsay interviewed Don Gray in 1994. Listen.

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Honeysuckle’s Technical Support Section.

Honeysuckle

This July 1965 Department of Supply booklet was given to prospective Honeysuckle Creek staff members to describe the functions of the planned station.


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Getting the Apollo 11 EVA TV from Honeysuckle to Canberra to Sydney.

 

December 2020.


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Hamish Lindsay took this photo of the 1974 Honeysuckle children’s Christmas party. Can you recognise any of the kids?

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NASA Adminstrator Thomas Paine is shown around Honeysuckle Creek by new Station Director Don Gray, 25th February 1970.

 

January 2021.


Featured

See Cyril Fenwick’s models and dioramas.


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 1, 07 January 1971. 1.5MB PDF file.

The TIBs were published twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on the front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

This TIB was preserved by Hamish Lindsay and scanned by Colin Mackellar. Those TIBs already online can be found here.



George Mueller and members of the MSFN Inspection Team, 7th and 8th January 1967.
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At Honeysuckle Creek.

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At Tidbinbilla.

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And at Orroral Valley.

 

February 2021.

The site of Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station, within the Namadgi National Park, remains closed a year after the devastating bushfire which began in the Orroral Valley.

In February 2021 we were allowed to visit the site to report on how the place is faring.

The amazing work of the firefighters, aided by airdrops of fire retardant, is evident.

Special thanks to Brett McNamara, Manager of Namadgi National Park, for allowing us access. He tells us that plans to reopen the park are progressing – and it may happen around Easter 2021. Stay tuned.

For full screen, watch on Vimeo.


Honeysuckle featured photo

Friendship 7, 20-21 February 1962.

The first American manned orbital flight.

Tracked by Muchea Tracking Station Western Australia.

Hear audio recorded at the Red Lake Tracking Station, Woomera.


Apollo 14 50th anniversary.
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01 – 10 February 1971.


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Mike Evenett and Bill Kempees survey the mess after a section of the road to Honeysuckle Creek slid into the valley just after Apollo 14, in February 1971.


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John Lambie’s Carnarvon stories – including establishing the Gemini Coffee Lounge.


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 2, 03 February 1971. 5.1MB PDF file.

The TIBs were published twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on the front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

This TIB was preserved by Bernard Smith and scanned by Colin Mackellar. Those TIBs already online can be found here.


 

March 2021.

60th Anniversary of the Opening of Muchea Tracking Station,
Western Australia.

Opened 24th March 1961.

Click here for a full screen version.

More on Muchea here.


Honeysuckle Creek – opened 17th March 1967.
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New scans of photos of Honeysuckle’s Opening Day Here, here and here.

Remembering Honeysuckle Creek’s Opening Day, 17 March 1967.

Click here for a full screen version.

Also see the Opening Day section, including audio of the speeches.

Photos by Hamish Lindsay, Bruce Withey, Martin Geasley (scanned by Bec Bigg-Wither), Ron Hicks, Danny Twomey, John Saxon, The Australian News and Information Service, Australian Department of Supply, Walkabout Magazine, Goddard News.

See also: John Saxon’s 8mm movie footage taken on the day.


Stories

The story of the Honeysuckle Command Data Kludge – from Bryan Sullivan.


Apollo 9 52nd anniversary.
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03 – 13 March 1969.

See the Apollo 9 section.
Hear the launch.


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Orroral Valley today.



What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Featured

Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 3, 26 February 1971. and Vol. 8, No. 5, 15 March 1971.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on this front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


 

April 2021.

featured

LOS Michael Collins 1930-2021

NASA announcement.

See our Apollo 11 section, and listen to Mike explain that “everything’s going just swimmingly” (The descent and landing) just prior to the lunar landing.

(During the Apollo 11 EVA, Mike Dinn confirms to Network, Ernie Randall, in Houston that President Nixon’s voice is going up to Mike Collins in the CSM through HSKX Tidbinbilla. This is to allow Collins to hear the President’s conversation with Armstrong and Aldrin. Their audio is going through Goldstone. Audio clip here.)


Apollo 16 mission patch

Remembering Apollo 16

17–28 April 1972

Essay by Hamish Lindsay; Audio and Video; Honeysuckle station log.


Apollo 13 51st anniversary.
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12 – 18 April 1970.

See the Apollo 13 section.

Photo: Ops Supervisor John Saxon and Deputy Director Mike Dinn in a pre-mission simulation at Honeysuckle Creek.

Apollo 13 mission patch

Bruce Window’s notes on audio items of interest from the newly-released MOCR console audio recordings.


STS-1 40th anniversary.
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Featured

Launched 12 April 1981.

Tracked by Orrroral Valley.

Photo: Orroral Valley Station Director Lewis Wainwright is presented with a photo of the launch, by John Young and Bob Crippen.


Phillip Chapman.
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08 April 2021:
Dr. Phillip Chapman, the first Australian-born NASA Astronaut, has died in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In this photo Honeysuckle Creek Deputy Director Ian Grant gives him a tour of the station some time after the Apollo 11 lunar landing.


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 6, 21 April 1971.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on this front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


 

May 2021.

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24 May 2021: We’re saddened to report that Dr Ross Taylor, a giant in the field of lunar geochemistry, has died in Canberra.

In July 1969, Dr Taylor from ANU performed the first chemical analysis of the lunar samples returned by Apollo 11.

Hamish Lindsay took the above photo and recorded a 65 minute interview with Dr Taylor in 1994.


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On 13 May 2021, the former Orroral Valley 26 metre antenna celebrates its 35th Anniversary as the Mount Pleasant Radio Telescope in Tasmania.


Featured

The 60th anniversary of Alan Shepard’s sub-orbital flight
MR-3 : Freedom 7

On 5th May 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to be fired into space. His 15 minute suborbital flight paved the way for more ambitious missions. Only twenty days later, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the decade.

Click the image for his visit to Honeysuckle Creek in October 1968.


Alan Shepard visits Honeysuckle Creek, October 1968.


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Apollo 10 – 52nd Anniversary

18 – 26 May 1969


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Christopher Kraft and Tecwyn Roberts at Carnarvon in March 1967. They
Kraft and Roberts were in Australia for the opening of Honeysuckle Creek.

Left to right:

1. Chris Kraft Jr. (NASA’s first Flight Director)
2. Lewis Wainwright (Carnarvon Station Director)
3. Tec Roberts (Chief of the Manned Flight Operations Division)
4. Unsure. (Can you help?)
5. John South (Goddard Representative to Australia)
6. Claus Petersen (UNIVAC Implementation Engineer)*

* Thanks to Bryan Sullivan for the ID.
Photo courtesy Lewis Wainwright’s family. Scan by Colin Mackellar.
Lewis Wainwright’s story coming soon. (Please check back.)


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The Baker-Nunn Camera at Island Lagoon, Woomera.


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 7, 03 May 1971.

Geodetic position determination for 30-Foot stations using Mars 71.
Young to command Apollo 16 mission.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on this front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


 

June 2021.

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The Lewis Wainwright story.

Lewis was Station Director at Muchea, Carnarvon and Orroral Valley, as well as Deputy Assistant Controller of the Department of Supply’s American Projects Branch.


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Covering the Friendship 7 mission from Muchea.

Darcy Farrell, founding News Editor at TVW Channel 7 Perth, was at Muchea for John Glenn’s flight in February 1962. Here’s his story.


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Remembering Gemini IV:

Essay by Hamish Lindsay. 

Gemini IV audio recorded at Carnarvon – including Ed Fendell giving the GO for EVA.

Gemini IV network audio.

Gemini IV memories from Carnarvon – from Ed Fendell, Paul Dench, John Lambie.

See also this enhanced footage of Ed White’s EVA (external link).


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
Featured

Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 8, 17 June 1971.

Tidbinbilla completing giant DSN Antenna. Honeysuckle Isolated by Cave-in. (Using Hamish Lindsay’s photo.) Guam Laser Facility. Apollo 15 will use Electric Drill.

 

July 2021.

Sixty years ago – 31st July 1961
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Remembering the tragic loss of the C47 Dakota
after supporting Project Mercury simulations at Muchea.


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Remembering Apollo 15 on its 50th anniversary.
Includes a new scan of the Apollo 15 Flight Plan.

Honeysuckle’s John Saxon was interviewed on ABC Radio Canberra on Saturday 31 July 2021. Audio used with their kind permission.

Larger image.


The start of the Apollo 11 EVA – with air/ground audio on the left channel and Honeysuckle Creek Alpha comms loop and Net 2 on the right channel.

Begins about 10 minutes before the TV starts and runs to 30 minutes into the EVA.

Watch in full screen on Vimeo.

More on the TV here.


A slideshow of Prime Minister John Gorton’s visit to Honeysuckle Creek on the morning of the Moon Landing.
For full screen, watch on Vimeo.


Featured

Viking 1 45th anniversary.
Includes new scans of the Honeysuckle Viking teams.


What was happening in the MSFN 50 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 8, No. 9, 23 July 1971.

Apollo 15 aims at widespread objectives.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on this front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.

 

August 2021.


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Continuing to remember Apollo 15 on its 50th anniversary.

On Wednesday 4th August 1971, Hamish Lindsay took this photo of Honeysuckle Creek tracking the CSM in lunar orbit.


Featured

After the sun had set, Hamish took this classic photo of Honeysuckle tracking the CSM in its 68th revolution of the Moon.


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As Honeysuckle continued to track Endeavour in lunar orbit, Hamish took this photo from between the boulders next to the antenna pad.

Photos scanned by Colin Mackellar. (Levels pushed in this scan to bring out the Moonlight.)


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Hamish Linday took this photo of the Honeysuckle USB Area on Friday 6th August 1971 at around 1925 AEST, on Day 2 of Apollo 15’s Trans Earth Coast.

___________________________

Honeysuckle’s John Saxon was interviewed on ABC Radio Canberra on Saturday 31 July 2021. Audio used with their kind permission.


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Voyager 2 encountered Neptune on 25 August 1989.

This team from Tidbinbilla was stationed at Parkes to man that end of the Parkes–Canberra Telemetry Array (PCTA).


Sunset at Surveyor 3 – via DSS42 Tidbinbilla.

Full screen version on Vimeo.

 

September 2021.


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A schematic of the MSFN 26 meter Apollo antennas (installed at Honeysuckle Creek, Goldstone and Madrid).

Scanned and processed by Glen Nagle.

More on the antenna here.


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Hamish Lindsay took this photo of five of Tidbinbilla’s ladies in front of the DSS43 console in May 1975. Details here.


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Brian Riehle and Ed Proctor Jr. of Guam Apollo Tracking Station at the airport in Agana on November 2nd or 3rd 1969, as the Apollo 11 crew visits Guam.


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US television legend Willard Scott has died.

While he was best known as the weatherman on NBC’s Today Show, and as the first Ronald McDonald, Scott also did some media work for NASA.

Prior to the Apollo 11 mission he introduced these NASA Audio News Features which were designed for radio stations to use to familiarise the public with the many aspects of the mission.

(Apparently Scott also made similar features prior to Apollo 10.)

In the Apollo 11 section.



What was happening in the MSFN in 1968
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 5, No. 18, 18 September 1968.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Where possible, the plan is to publish on this front page the TIB which was current 50 years ago.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.

 

October 2021.

Featured

Sixty years ago this month:

In his Arcadia, California, hotel room on 3rd October 1961, Bell & Howell’s Frank Mellberg drew this sketch for the Surveyor TV camera zoom lens assembly – the night before he submitted his company’s proposal to Hughes Aircraft.

Frank was responsible for design and development at Bell & Howell and his company won the contract.


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Celebrating the Anniversary of Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo flight, 12–22 October 1968.

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“I can still remember the excitement at HSK as we were about hear US voices on the downlink for the first time.” – Bryan Sulllivan.

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Orroral Valley panorama taken during construction.

Photos by Andy Kenner.


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Edwin P. Hartman
The first NASA Senior Scientific Representative to Australia


What was happening in the MSFN 58 years ago
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 1, No. 16, 04 October 1963.

New Display Consoles to Support Gemini; Final Mercury Conference Held.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


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Honeysuckle Creek 50 years ago – 9th October 1971.

Photo by Ken Mackellar.

 

November 2021

featured featured featured
Apollo 12: 15–25 November 1969.

News from November 1968
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Technical Information Bulletin of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 5, No. 22, November 15 1968, has a significant announcement –

“The Manned Space Flight Network will be linked to the moon by a Unified S-band signal on Christmas Day, 1968, if everything goes as planned.

NASA Acting Administrator Thomas O. Paine announced on November 12 that the AS-503 (Apollo 8) mission will be a lunar orbital mission lasting up to six days. The earliest possible date for the mission will be December 21 and if all goes as planned, three astronauts – Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders – will orbit the moon 10 times during a 20 hour period beginning December 24.”

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


Featured

Sixty years ago:

The Parkes Radio Telescope is opened – October 31 1961.

 

December 2021

Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Apollo 8

First flight to the Moon
December 1968.

Apollo 17

Last flight to the Moon
December 1972.


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The (unique) Honeysuckle Creek Simulation System.


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The Gemini 4 Flight Control Team at Carnarvon in June 1965 – updated scan.


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Sydney Video during Apollo 12.


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July 1970, Ken Lee is (apparently) farewelled from Honeysuckle Creek.


The Manned Space Flight Network in December 1967
Honeysuckle featured photo
Honeysuckle featured photo

Technical Information Bulletins of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 4, Nos. 16 and 17, December 1967.

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


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Here is a 1976 photo of Dr. James Fletcher; Dr. George Low; Dr. Thomas Paine and Mr. James E. Webb, past Administrators of NASA;

as well as – Robert F. Seamans, Jr, Administrator of HRDA and Dr. T. Keith Glennan, first Administrator of NASA.

In recognition of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA photo 76-H-415. Preserved by Hamish Lindsay, scan by Colin Mackellar.

 

January 2022

Hamish Lindsay
Hamish Lindsay

LOS Hamish Lindsay.


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A brief video tribute to Hamish – on Vimeo.


Featured photo: Voyager II encounters Uranus, 25 January 1986
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Featured photo: Voyager II encounters Uranus, 25 January 1986
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Featured

Here is a print-it-yourself Honeysuckle Creek Wall Calendar for 2022.


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The MSFN Inspection Team at Honeysuckle Creek, 6th January 1967.


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The Operation and Maintenance of Cooby Creek A.T.S. Ground Station – a paper by David Hancock.


The Manned Space Flight Network in January 1965
Honeysuckle featured photo

Technical Information Bulletins of the Manned Space Flight Network, Vol. 3, No. 1, 08 January 1965

The TIBs were published (usually) twice monthly by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.

 

February 2022

Friendship 7 – 60th Anniversary
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On February 20, 1962
Gerry O’Connor (centre) at Muchea Tracking Station became the first Australian to hail a space traveller when he established communications with Astronaut John Glenn on his first orbit, and then passed the circuit to Capcom Gordon Cooper (right).

John Glenn sent this message to the people of Perth, and all who tracked him on his passage across Australia, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary in February 2012. (Full screen here.)


The team at Muchea tracked John Glenn as he crossed the coast (full screen here) before handing him over to …

Red Lake, north of Woomera (full screen here).


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Hear unique audio of the Friendship 7 mission recorded at the Red Lake Tracking Station (Woomera).


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Warren Bishop’s Newspaper Clippings Scrapbook. New.

Honeysuckle featured photo

See the America’s Man in Orbit booklet.


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And to mark the 60th anniversary of Friendship 7, Canberra music studio HR Arts Factory has released vocal and instrumental versions of a new song, “Splashdown John Glenn”.


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Remembering Apollo 14, February 1971.

Ed von Renouard at the Honeysuckle Creek video console in its Apollo 14 configuration.


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DSS42 (left) and DSS43 at Tidbinbilla in December 1975.


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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 3, 20 February 1969. (Click the image for a 4.2MB PDF file)

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. This TIB was preserved by Honeysuckle’s Bernard Smith. Those already online can be found here.

 

March 2022

Remembering Honeysuckle Creek’s Opening Day, 17 March 1967.

Click here for a full screen version.

Also see the Opening Day section, including audio of the speeches.


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Crossing Paddy’s Creek – the Road to Tidbinbilla, July 1963.


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Honeysuckle Creek / DSS44 Paraboloid Survey, August 1974.


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A 2003 tribute to WRE’s Tom Lawrence (second from right), a key figure in laying the groundwork for US – Australian space tracking co-operation.


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The very first TIB – Volume 1, Number 1, 8th March 1963.

The Technical Information Bulletins were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division, for Network personnel. This one was preserved by John Lambie.

Those TIBs already online can be found here, with many more to come.

 

April 2022

Apollo 16 mission patch

Apollo 16 50th Anniversary

17–28 April 1972


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Honeysuckle Creek timeline for Apollo 16. In the Apollo 16 section.


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Celebrations at Honeysuckle after John Saxon speaks to John Young and Charlie Duke on the lunar surface.


John Young recalls his conversation and shares a Swan with John Saxon at the Apollo 11 25th anniversary dinner in Canberra.

(If full screen doesn’t work, see it on Vimeo.)


Apollo 16 EVA TV seen only at Honeysuckle. Read the story here.

(If full screen doesn’t work, watch on Vimeo.)


Apollo 13 mission patch

Remembering Apollo 13

12-18 April 1970 (AEST)


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At EDINBURGH RAAF AIRFIELD, SALISBURY, S.A.

Capt. Don Anderson, Noel Rossiter, Ozro Covington, Don Anderson, Robin Berry, Jack Dowling, First Officer Dick Evans, Capt. Nelson Hill, Fred Mentha.

“In the evening of the 16th August, a NASA/WRE party took off from Perth airport in a DC-3 aircraft on charter from MMA (MacRobertson Miller Airlines). The destination, Carnarvon, was three hours away, allowing comfortable time for the serving of dinner, followed by liqueurs and ‘Old Grandad’ bourbon whisky.”

In 1967, Carnarvon Station Director Lewis Wainwright penned this account for the fifth anniversary of the Carnarvon Site Survey in August 1962.

 

May 2022


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Apollo 10 – 53rd Anniversary, 18 – 26 May 1969

New: Audio recorded at Honeysuckle.


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LOS Jack Duperouzel, who we believe was the last of the Muchea Men.


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Carnarvon trackers and local publican Wilson Tuckey pose with their racehorse, “St. Mondray”.


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The Honeysuckle Creek antenna at stow on 2nd May 1968.

Photo by Hamish Lindsay

2021 scan from Hamish’s 4x5 inch negative.

 

June 2022

Honeysuckle photo of the month
Honeysuckle photo of the month

Expo '67 from Montreal
7th June 1967,
broadcast from the Australian pavilion, received at Cooby Creek.

Our World, the first global television broadcast, 26th June 1967 – relayed into and out of Australia through Cooby Creek.


Founder of the ABC’s Science Unit, Dr. Peter Pockley (1935–2013) spoke about the Australian contribution to Our World in this excerpt from an interview recorded for honeysucklecreek.net in 2010.

Direct link to Vimeo.

To put the above segment into context,
listen to the previous segment (audio only, at this stage).


Watch the first few minutes of Our World, as it was seen in Australia.

The presenter is the ABC’s James Dibble. Video courtesy WA TV History.


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The Honeysuckle Creek construction camp, May 1966.


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Two prime movers are needed to haul the counterweight for Honeysuckle’s 85 foot antenna up the first track, mid-1966.


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A snowy Orroral Valley, 1965.


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First American EVA – Gemini IV – 57th anniversary.

A key early mission for Carnarvon. 4 – 6 June 1965.


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Carnarvon tracker Tito Teraci with a nervous joey, 1965.

The description on the back of NASA photo B-65-72 reads,
“An engineer of this northwestern Australian tracking site poses with the station mascot. Commonly known as a ‘wallaby’, the baby kangaroo is unique to this part of the world.”

 

July 2022


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Most of the Honeysuckle Creek team, July 1969.

Updated scans – now with names added. Updated


NASA Apollo 11 Audio News Features

Prior to Apollo 11, NASA released twenty four Audio News Features hosted by broadcaster Willard Scott. Each interviewed a key figure in the upcoming mission.


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The Apollo 11 Moonwalk as seen at Honeysuckle Creek – unique footage.

Honeysuckle Creek’s Video Tech, Ed von Renouard, used his Super 8 movie camera to record the activity at the tracking station – as well as television from the Moon (in real time and also from telemetry tapes immediately afterwards).

Direct link to the video.


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Honeysuckle Creek Apollo 11 timeline.


Interviews relating to Apollo 11

Mike Dinn – Honeysuckle Deputy Director.
Kevin Gallegos – Honeysuckle SDDS.
Ed von Renouard
, Honeysuckle Video.
Bryan Sullivan
– Honeysuckle Computers.
Don Gray – Tidbinbilla Station Director (see part 8).
Dick Nafzger – Goddard, Apollo TV Ground Support Engineer.
Jack Garman – Houston, Apollo Guidance Computer.
Bruce Ekert – PMG, HSK-Sydney microwave links.
Wayne Ozarko – OTC, at Sydney Video.
Ian Mackenzie – ATN-7 Sydney, at Sydney Video.
Allan Hullett – ABC-TV Engineer, Perth.


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Honeysuckle Creek under snow

Undated photo by Hamish Lindsay.


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Carnarvon from the Air.

A new page of aerial photos of Carvarvon township, Tracking Station, and Satellite Earth Station.

 

August 2022

Remembering Neil Armstrong, 05 August 1930 – 25 August 2012.
Honeysuckle featured photo

Carnarvon’s Paul Dench could not be at the Sydney Convention Centre for Neil’s 24 August 2011 CPAA speech so Paul asked David Johns (CRO 1970–1974) to present his and Alison Gregg’s book “Carnarvon and Apollo” to Neil Armstrong. Neil said he would read it with interest. Photo: Peter Aylward.

Wonderful interview recorded in Sydney, August 2011.
Neil’s address to the CPAA event in Sydney, 24 August 2011.
Message to Australian Space Trackers, July 2009.


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Apollo 17 Commander Gene Cernan spoke at CDSCC in June 2016.


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Remembering Apollo 15, 26 July – 08 August 1971.


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Thanks to OTC for Apollo 11 support.


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Interview with OTC (Australia) Engineer Bill Woods.

 

September 2022

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12 September 1962.
President John F. Kennedy speaks at Rice University, Houston, Texas.

“We choose to go to the Moon, we choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one in which we intend to win, and the others too.”

Digital image with thanks to Stephen Slater.


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Apollo Range Instrumented Aircraft support for Apollo 17, December 1972.
Fascinating account by Michael Zeitfuss.


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The Ladies supporting the NASA Tracking Stations in Australia.
Photos for International Women’s Year, 1975.


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Building DSS43 at Tidbinbillaphotos by Eric Counahan.


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Bryan Sullivan’s overview of the station.

 

October 2022

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Vale Jim McDivitt. Sad news, 18 October 2022.

In this slow scan TV image received at Goldstone Apollo Station, Jim McDivitt (right) demonstrates drinking from a pouch in weightlessness, as Rusty Schweickart watches, during the Apollo 9 mission.

As well as commanding Apollo 9 in March 1969, he had previously commanded Gemini IV in June 1965, when Ed White performed the first American EVA.


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Interview with Tidbinbilla Comms Supervisor Tony Saville.


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Cooby Creek staff, 1969. Updated photo key.


Island Lagoon

While the recent DART impact with asteroid Dimorphos is an amazing accomplishment, so was that of the Ranger Program.

In July 1964, Ranger 7 returned more than 4,000 increasingly detailed images as it plunged into the Moon.

Read about Ranger here, in the Island Lagoon section.

 

November 2022

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Apollo 12: 15–25 November 1969.

NewHoneysuckle audio of launch, and portions of Rev 1, Rev 2, and TLC Days 1 and 2.


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Prime Minister Harold Holt at the Honeysuckle Creek opening day, 17 March 1967.


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Down Under Comes Up Live – The first satellite TV broadcast out of Australia – from Robinson Street, Carnarvon, 26 November 1966.

See also:

Photos of the Historic Carnarvon – Goonhilly TV Broadcast by Guntis Berzins.

Establishment of the OTC(A) Carnarvon Earth Station and the Historic
Carnarvon – Goonhilly TV Broadcast
by Guntis Berzins.

Down Under Comes up Live by Cyril Vahtrick.


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Technical Information Bulletin of the MSFN, Volume 1, Number 18, 01 November 1963. (Click the image for a 4.7MB PDF file)

In this issue:

Goddard Computing Center. WWV, ‘Big Ben’ of Network. SCAMA 304 switchboard features 220 line capacity AND built-in ashtrays!

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel.

Those TIBs already online can be found here.


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Senior staff at DSS41 Island Lagoon, Woomera, 1968.

 

December 2022


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Carols at Honeysuckle Creek at the end of Apollo 17.


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DSS41 Island Lagoon Last Track, 22 December 2022.


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Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Dr Harrison Schmitt sent this video greeting to the space trackers’ gathering in Canberra on 08 December 2022.


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This 9 minute video tribute to all the Australian manned space trackers was shown at the gathering in Canberra on 08 December 2022.


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Laurie Turner speaks with the crew on their way to the Moon.


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Here’s a new scan of the Apollo 17 Flight Plan.


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Apollo historian the late Bill Mellberg was a guest at the launch of Apollo 17. He provides an eyewiteness account (PDF file) at www.americasuncommonsense, the website of Apollo 17 LMP Harrison Schmitt.


Also related to Apollo 17

Mike Dinn’s Apollo 17 memorabilia.

Apollo 17 in Real Time.

A NASA presentation resource for the anniversary.


Further updates planned later this month – including Remembering Apollo 8, and Remembering Island Lagoon – please check back.


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Download a free 2023 Honeysuckle and NASA Networks Calendar from the Christmas page of my personal website, www.mackellars.net.


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Also from 1972, here’s a photo of the Pioneer FAB 50 – the team who brought you Pioneers 10 and 11!


 

January 2023


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LOS Walt Cunningham, Apollo 7.
Sad announcement from NASA.

Update: Buzz Aldrin has written a touching tribute in The Washington Post – “Without Walt Cunningham, there would be no moon landing”.

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Walt visited Honeysuckle on 5th May 1969. Although there don’t seem to be any photos of his visit, this signed picture was probably given to the Department of Supply’s Lloyd Bott at that time. (Image thanks to Ken Sheridan.)


Goddard News, January 13 1969

Goddaard News, January 13 1969.

8.5MB PDF file.

 

February 2023


Remembering Friendship 7, 20-21 February 1962

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On February 20, 1962
Gerry O’Connor (centre) at Muchea Tracking Station became the first Australian to hail a space traveller when he established communications with Astronaut John Glenn on his first orbit, and then passed the circuit to Capcom Gordon Cooper (right).


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Apollo 14, February 1971.

Ed von Renouard at the Honeysuckle Creek video console in its Apollo 14 configuration.


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Honeysuckle Creek, November 1970.


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August 1964, two RAAF Bell Huey helicopters head out from Tidbinbilla searching for a suitable site to build the Apollo station. The next year the site selection team settled on what is now known as Honeysuckle Creek. Photo: Dick Collins.


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Preparing for Apollo – Essay by Hamish Lindsay.

Photo: Honeysuckle Station Director Tom Reid and Goddard Simulation Team Leader George Harris on 29 September 1967.


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Hamish Lindsay took this Polaroid photo at 10:35pm on Friday 30 July 1971, during Apollo 15’s live television broadcast on lunar orbit 8.

March 2023

Tidbinbilla’s Opening Day, 19 March 1965.
Click here for a full screen version.
Also see the Opening Day page and audio.


Honeysuckle Creek’s Opening Day, 17 March 1967.
Click here for a full screen version.
Also see the Opening Day section.


Prime Minister Gorton’s statement
John Lovering

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Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website) – Prime Minister Harold Holt on Opening Day at Honeysuckle, 17th March 1967.


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NASA Senior Scientific Representative to Australia, Willson Hunter, waves as he, Ed Buckley and Chris Kraft take a ride on the Honeysuckle cherrypicker on Opening Day, 17th March 1967.

Previously unpublished photos by Hamish Lindsay.

On the Official Guests page in the Opening Day section.


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Photos from the Honeysuckle opening album.


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Prime Minister Robert Menzies and NASA’s Edmond Buckley unveil a model of DSS42 at the Opening of Tidbinbilla, 19th March 1965.

On Opening Day page in the Tidbinbilla section.

Also hear the speeches given on the day.


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Goddard Simulation flights to Honeysuckle Creek.

Undated Polaroid photo: Ian Grant, John Saxon, Mike Dinn and a Goddard Sim team member.


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Honeysuckle Creek in its Deep Space configuration.


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Carnarvon from the Air.

A page of aerial photos of Carvarvon township, Tracking Station, and Satellite Earth Station.

 

April 2023

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Madrid Apollo station. Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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DSS-43 Tidbinbilla Opening Ceremony, 13th April 1973.
Footage by Tidbinbilla’s Robert Denize.
See it in full screen on Vimeo.

See also photos of the Opening Ceremony and photos of the construction (with new scans added).


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DSS-43 Tidbinbilla 40th anniversary celebrations, 13th April 2013.
See it in full screen on Vimeo.


Apollo 13 mission patch

Remembering Apollo 13

12–18 April 1970

Essay by Hamish Lindsay; Pre-mission Simulations;
Launch video; Audio interviews; Honeysuckle Comms;
Re-entry; Thanks for support of the mission.


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LOS Keith Brockelsby, Tidbinbilla Original.

Tribute by John Heath.


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Carnarvon wildflowers. Photo by Terry Newman.

The Carnarvon 30 foot USB antenna is visible in the distance at left.

 

May 2023

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Honeysuckle Creek Skylab configuration after a snowfall.

Photo by Paul Mullen from the cherrypicker positioned adjacent to the 26-metre antenna. Scan by Nick Mullen.

Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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The Honeysuckle Creek antenna at stow on 2nd May 1968.

Photo by Hamish Lindsay. 2021 scan from Hamish’s 4x5 inch negative.


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Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt visits Honeysuckle Creek on 3rd May 1973.


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Project Mercury Aeromedical Flight Controllers, May 1960.


The Manned Space Flight Network, 60 and 52 years ago.
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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 5, 03 May 1963.


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Technical Information Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 7, 03 May 1971.

The TIBs were published by the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Manned Flight Operations Division for Network personnel. Those already online can be found here.


 

June 2023

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Walter Cronkite and his CBS News team visit Goldstone Apollo on July 4 1969 to film Apollo 11 preparations.

Left: Cronkite with M&O Supervisor Tom Turnbull. Right: An interview with the family of BFEC dispatcher and mechanic Robert Burton. Photos: Bill Wood.

See Bill Wood’s photos of the visit.

Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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This 9 minute video tribute to all the Australian manned space trackers was shown at the gathering in Canberra on 08 December 2022.


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Surveyor 1, June 1966.
Celebrating the successful re-awakening of Surveyor 1 after the long lunar night, Tidbinbilla Station Director Bob Leslie (right) presents “The Prince Charming Award” to Tidbinbilla Ops Supervisor Paddy Johnstone (left) and Hal French, (Hughes) Surveyor Ops Chief.

See the Surveyor section here.


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July 2023

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Right: The Honeysuckle Creek antenna tracks Eagle at Tranquility Base on Monday July 21 1969 as the station prepares to receive live television from the lunar surface.
Left: Part of the Honeysuckle team, just after Apollo 11.

Photos: Hamish Lindsay.

For more, see the Apollo 11 section.

Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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The Tidbinbilla (HSKX) USB team for Apollo 11.


Start of the Apollo 11 EVA
with audio from Honeysuckle’s Alpha loop and Net 2.

Full screen version. For the full descriptive text, see the video on Vimeo.


Prime Minister John Gorton at Honeysuckle Creek, Monday 21 July 1969 – after the lunar landing but before the Moonwalk – still photos.

Full screen version.


The Apollo 11 EVA as seen at Honeysuckle – through Ed von Renouard’s Super 8 movie camera.

Full screen version.


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Radio Astronomer Dr David Jauncey has had a long history of working with Tidbinbilla in VLBI – Very Long Baseline Interferometry.

In this April 2023 interview, he speaks glowingly of the partnership of everyone at Tidbinbilla. A story worth telling.

Watch here. 54 minutes.


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Stan Anderson tells the story of the ARIA – the Apollo Range Instrumented Aircraft – in this 2009 interview.

See also Stan’s newly updated account of how ARIA saved Apollo 5 – in the ARIA section.


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Stan Anderson also spoke at the Apollo 11 40th anniversary luncheon in Canberra on 21st July 2009.

He is introduced by Patrick Helean. With special thanks to Geoff Crane for this footage.


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For the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Skylab Orbital Workshop, the Space Association of Australia’s President Peter Aylward organised several video interviews with Dr. Joe Kerwin.

Dr Kerwin, one of the first Scientist Astronauts, flew on the first manned Skylab mission. He was later the NASA Senior Scientific Representative to Australia.

At various times, Mike Dinn, John Saxon and Colin Mackellar participated in these unique interviews which have now been posted on the Space Association’s Youtube channel. Fascinating and enjoyable.

Direct links to Youtube: Interview 1, Interview 2, Interview 3.

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A most unwelcome update (Space Association of Australia Facebook), 5th July 2023, with the news that Peter Aylward has died in Melbourne after a brave battle with cancer. Many will mourn him – and will miss his friendship and great enthusiasm for space exploration and space history.

Peter, and fellow members of the SAA, visited Tidbinbilla in February 2023. From left: Michael Abdilla, Peter Aylward, Mike Dinn, John Saxon. Photo: Betty Saxon, taken at the Southern Cross Club in Woden.


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LOS Ian Grant.

We’re very sorry to hear that Ian Grant, Honeysuckle’s last Station Director, died in Sydney in early June.

A native of Glasgow, Ian served as Deputy Station Director at Honeysuckle Creek 1968 – 1972, and as Station Director from 1978 until the station’s closure at the end of 1981.

After a short period at Tidbinbilla, including being acting Director for a period while Tom Reid was away, Ian was appointed as Station Director of Orroral Valley from 1982 until that station closed in 1985. As Orroral’s equipment was being dispersed, Ian arranged for the Baker-Nunn Camera to be donated to the University of Wollongong, and the 26 metre antenna to be given to the University of Tasmania for radio astronomy.

Ian is remembered as an excellent engineer who was immensely proud of the role he was summoned to play in space exploration.

We plan to expand Ian’s page on the website soon.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay.

 

August 2023

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Just after the Apollo 11 EVA on Monday 21 July 1969, David Cooke, Parkes Senior RF Engineer, stepped outside to take this handheld photo. It’s around 5:00pm and the storm which had threatened Parkes’ Apollo support has moved away.

For more, see Hamish Lindsay’s essay in the Apollo 11 section.

Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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Flight Director Gene Kranz celebrates his 90th birthday this month.

In July 2019, he sent this message to the Apollo 11 lunch in Canberra.

See also his wonderful essay “Our Time”.


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Sixty-one years ago this month (August 1962), a joint NASA / WRE team searched for a site for a new tracking station in Western Australia. Brown’s Range, Carnarvon was selected.

In 1967, then Carnarvon Station Director Lewis Wainwright wrote this account for the 5th anniversary of the survey.

“The party was welcomed at the Port Hotel in Carnarvon by Mrs Jenny Tuckey, and later, in the hotel lounge, provided with light entertainment by Jack Dowling at the piano. …
Plans were made, and the party retired, growing accustomed to the gentle aroma which drifted over the town from the whaling station on Babbage Island. …

[The next day] a rough survey was made and sites proposed for equipment, such as the FPQ-6, Range & Range Rate and for the T&C Building and Power Station. Torn pieces of a sheet, purchased from Anne’s Frock Shop by Larry Brown, were left fluttering on the bushes of the range, and the survey drawing discussed and perfected in the Shire Council’s Board Room.”

Photo: On Brown’s Range: Nigel Tomlinson, Fred Mentha, Lewis Wainwright, Jack Dowling, Dale Call, Don Anderson, Basil Monckton (kneeling). See the Report for more photos.

 

September 2023

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Orroral Valley Tracking Station (“Canberra STADAN”), August 1965, as equipment was being installed.

Other photos in this set to come.

Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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Hear Helen Garriott’s prank tape played from Skylab 3 on 10th September 1973.

In the Skylab section – which also features Hamish Lindsay’s Skylab essay.


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Neil Armstrong visits the Goddard Space Flight Center after the Apollo 11 mission. Updated photos.


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See “One Last Step – The Honeysuckle Legacy” – Scott Holgate’s short film on preparations for the Apollo 11 50th celebrations in 2019.

Features Mike Dinn and John Saxon.


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Honeysuckle’s antenna and cherrypicker circa 1972.


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Guests at the Opening of Carnarvon Tracking Station, June 1964.


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See this 8mm footage taken by Philip Clark covering most of the life of Orroral Valley Tracking Station. On Vimeo – and also on this page.


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Timeline of Orroral Valley, as well as a page for the late Philip Clark who did so much to preserve Orroral’s history.

 

October 2023

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David Johns took this photo of Carnarvon Tracking Station from NASA 421 in November 1972, prior to Apollo 17. It was the last flight of a Goddard simulation team to Australia.

Station staff have come out to see the Super Constellation skim just above the height of the USB antenna.

Image from the 2023 HSK calendar (on my personal website).


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David Johns shares his recollections of Carnarvon 1970-1974.

Photo: David tracing sunspots at the Carnarvon SPAN
(Solar Particle Array Network) site.


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Apollo 7 55th Anniversary
Honeysuckle’s first manned flight, 12–22 October 1968.

See the Apollo 7 section – and hear Dick Nafzger’s audio recordings made at Corpus Christi of Apollo 7’s first TV broadcast from space.

 

November 2023

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Remembering President John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
29 May 1917 – 22 November 1963.

It was President Kennedy who made the commitment that the United States of America would land a man on the Moon, and return him safely to the Earth, before the end of the decade.

In the above image, courtesy of Stephen Slater, he is delivering his famous speech at Rice University in Houston on 12 September 1962.

Many Australians took part in helping reach President Kennedy’s goal. Click the image to see a video made last December with an excerpt from his speech and views of the Australian stations of the Manned Space Flight Network.


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Goddard News for 2nd December 1963 marks the loss of President John F. Kennedy.

This edition also notes the use of the Relay satellite to send “a film clip NBC telecast of the life of the late President Kennedy” to Japan just five hours after the assassination.


Lloyd Bott

Astronaut Frank Borman, 1928–2023.

NASA pays tribute to Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Frank Borman.

Colonel Borman was the Command Pilot of Gemini 7 in December 1965. He and Jim Lovell conducted Orbital Rendezvous with Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford onboard Gemini 6.

After their mission, Borman and Schirra visited Australia with their wives in March 1966 – Borman visited Perth, Adelaide, Woomera, Melbourne and Sydney.

After the Apollo 1 / AS 204 tragedy in January 1967, Frank Borman was appointed to the Accident Investigation Board and became heavily involved in the redesign of the Apollo Command Module.

Only six weeks after the accident, he sent audio greetings to the crowd assembled for the opening of Honeysuckle Creek.

Frank Borman is best remembered as the Commander of Apollo 8, the first manned flight around the Moon in December 1968. During a live television broadcast on lunar revolution 9, he and Jim Lovell and Bill Anders sent their historic message “for all the people back on Earth”.

After the mission, Borman travelled to the Madrid Apollo Station to thank the team for their support.

_____________________

Above: Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Supply, Lloyd Bott, is pictured with Frank Borman in Melbourne in March 1966.


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October 1969 – Apollo equipment is delivered to Parkes and installed by a Tidbinbilla team in time for Apollo 12.


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Apollo 12 54th Anniversary (12-25 November 1969)


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LOS Ken Mattingly – sad news from NASA.


HSK today

Honeysuckle Creek Today. Photo by Michael Crowe.

 

December 2023


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Hamish Lindsay took this photo of Honeysuckle’s 26-metre dish, looking down from the apex of the quadripod.

John Hart with the theodolite is at centre. Tony Salvage (white overalls) assists. The occasion is the Paraboloid Survey of the dish in preparation for joining the Deep Space Network – August 1974.

Image from the 2023 Honeysuckle and NASA Networks (unofficial) Calendar on my personal website.


We are very sorry to hear of the loss of Honeysuckle’s
Ed von Renouard (“Video Von”) in London earlier this month.

In memory of Ed, above is a 6 minute video of Ed’s recollections of the day of the Apollo 11 Moonwalk. On the video console, he was the first to see the television arriving from the Moon.

Watch above, or on Vimeo.

See a tribute to Ed in the Space People section.


Apollo 8 – short video made for the 55th anniversary.


Astronaut Harrison Schmitt reads a Christmas poem to Apollo 8.


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Mike Dinn remembers Apollo 8.

External link to Vimeo. Video recorded 05 December 2023.


Tributes to Ken Mattingly and Frank Borman

Apollo 17 Astronaut Dr. Harrison Schmitt has recently published tributes to Frank Borman (Apollo 8 Commander) and Ken Mattingly (Apollo 8 Capcom, and Apollo 16 CMP). Click the links to see them on his website, americasuncommonsense.com.


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Gemini Program audio recorded at Carnarvon Tracking Station.


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Site launched 14 December 2003.
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed so wonderfully to help preserve the history of Honeysuckle Creek, the other tracking stations, and others involved in the missions.

(Photo by Hamish Lindsay.)

Still plenty to add to the website, so please stay tuned!

 

January 2024


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On January 25 1986, Voyager 2 passed 81,500 kilometres above the cloudtops of Uranus. At Parkes Paul Mullen (left) and Peter Churchill (centre) from Tidbinbilla monitor signals from the spacecraft. Photo preserved by Mike Dinn.

Image from the 2024 Honeysuckle and NASA Networks (unofficial) Calendar on my personal website.


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Remembering Hamish Lindsay

A brief video to remember Hamish (LOS 22 January 2022) – on Vimeo.

See also words of appreciation delivered at his funeral – also on Vimeo.


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Remembering Walt Larkin, “Mr Goldstone”

New entry in the Space People section.


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February 2024


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Merritt Island Launch Annex (MILA) Tracking Station, adjacent to Kennedy Space Center, 1967. This photo by Goldstone’s Bill Wood features the 30-foot S-Band antenna.

See the beginnings of a section on MILA here.

Image from the 2024 Honeysuckle and NASA Networks (unofficial) Calendar on my personal website.



Humanity's First Time Around the Moon … And our Next?

Coming up on Friday 23rd February 2024 at Mt Stromlo Observatory Visitors Centre in Canberra:

Stephen Slater, film producer (with credits including Apollo 11), will give an exclusive look into Apollo 8 and one of humanity’s riskiest journeys. Using unseen archival film clips, Stephen will take us on an out-of-this world multimedia experience.

Joining him will be Mike Dinn, former Deputy Station Director of Honeysuckle Creek.

Brad Tucker will reflect on where to now with Artemis II and beyond.

With Super Bowl LVIII being played this weekend in Las Vegas, Stephen included the above footage of the Apollo 8 crew at Super Bowl III in Miami on 12 January 1969, fresh from their flight around the Moon.

Book in for the event at this link.


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1994 Interview with John Saxon

In April 1994, Hamish Lindsay recorded this terrific interview with John Saxon (Honeysuckle Creek and Tidbinbilla).

In the Interview section.


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Remembering Cyril Fenwick
Honeysuckle Creek and Tidbinbilla.


Apollo 14

Apollo 14
1st – 10th February (Australian dates) 1971.


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Darcey, the Cooby Creek cat.

In the Cooby Creek section.


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DSS14 Goldstone – the first of the Big Dishes.

In the Goldstone section.