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A Tribute to the men and women of
Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station, Canberra, Australia

the wider Australian involvement
in manned and unmanned space exploration, and more!

Updated 18 July 2018. | News 25 May 2017.

Featured: July 2018.

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.

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.

Apollo 11 49th anniversary

Hamish Lindsay’s essay on Apollo 11.	Launch Audio loops in Mission Control.	First hand accounts: Apollo 11 at HSK.

Fire at Tidbinbilla during Apollo 11.	HSK Station Log for Apollo 11.	The White Team Apollo 11 photos.

Computer alarms during the landing.	The PM visits HSK on the day.	Press arrangements at Sydney Video.

HSK comms loops as the Moonwalk begins.	How we saw the Apollo 11 EVA.	Message from Neil July 2009.

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.

See also Previous featured items.

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

Planning for the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11.

Site Menu

Updates | News

Honeysuckle Creek

Intro
Early Days (Location, Construction, Opening)
The Station (Technical description, photos)
People, Stories. (incl. Visitors, StaDirs, Reunions, and more.)

Apollo Missions

The Manned Space Flight Network,
Mission Control Center - Houston,

Preparing for Apollo, Goddard Sims, Station Readiness Tests,

Apollo Summary,

Apollo 1, Apollo 7, Apollo 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 10, Apollo 11, Apollo 11 TV, Apollo 12, Apollo 13, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16, Apollo 17, ALSEP, Skylab,

Leaving the MSFN.

Deep Space Missions

Last Days Honeysuckle Today The Books The DVDs.

Interviews

Other

Other Stations
Tidbinbilla, Goldstone, Madrid, Carnarvon, Guam, Ascension Island, ARIA, Deakin Switch, Parkes, Muchea, Red Lake, Island Lagoon, Orroral Valley, Cooby Creek, Carnarvon OTC, OTC (Aust), BFEC, Santiago.

Missions Supported by Other Stations
Mercury: Friendship 7, Faith 7.
Gemini: Gemini 3, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 12.
Mariner IV, Ranger, Lunar Orbiter, Surveyor, Pioneer, Viking, Voyager.

Department of Supply
Pioneers, WRESAT, Woomera.

About / Contact
Tips on navigating the site
Links

Also see some related (and some unrelated!) video at vimeo.com/honeysuckle.


A beautiful setting Website by Colin Mackellar – photo taken 09 October 1971.	Honeysuckle and Apollo 11 The Apollo 11 Mission. Apollo 11 TV. Search for the tapes.

Apollo 11 40th The Apollo 11 40th anniversary celebrations in July 2009.	The Honeysuckle Creek DVDs Including Ed von Renouard’s Apollo 11 Super 8 movie – and the full Restored Apollo 11 EVA.


Australian Prime Minister John Gorton visits Honeysuckle Creek on the day of the Moon Landing, Monday 21 July 1969. Silent film (14MB MPEG4 file).	The Prime Minister after his tour inside Honeysuckle’s Operations building. Unedited news film runs for 5'14". A 21MB MPEG4 file.
Both clips courtesy of the ABC. See more of the Prime Minister’s visit here.

What really happened with the Apollo 11 TV signal. More here.

One Small Step: The Australian Story

Watch “One Small Step: The Australian Story”, produced by Freehand TV in Sydney for the BBC, for the 40th anniversary in 2009.
This is a unique account of Australia’s role, and features key players from Honeysuckle Creek, Tidbinbilla and Parkes. Recommended. On YouTube.

(If you’ve seen the Australian comedy “The Dish”,
watch this to discover what actually happened.)

The Honeysuckle antenna today

The old Honeysuckle antenna was used for its last official track in January 2010.

DSS46 photos.

And here’s a tribute page of photos on the occasion of the shutdown.