Cloudcroft Observatory, ( obs. code: V29) is an

astronomical Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, ...

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. H ...

located in the

Lincoln National Forest Lincoln National Forest is a unit of the U.S. Forest Service located in southern New Mexico. Established by Presidential Proclamation in 1902 as the Lincoln Forest Reserve, the forest begins near the Texas border and contains lands in parts of ...

near

Cloudcroft Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, and is located within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. Despite being located in an otherwise arid region, its high elevation (; one of ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, approximately northeast of Alamogordo. It is owned by the Tzec Maun Foundation, a private astronomical organization. Known as the Cloudcroft Electro-Optical Research Facility when it was built in 1962, it was owned by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) until 1982 and initially operated by the Air Force Avionics Laboratory (AFAL). It was used as part of a project to develop new techniques for detecting satellites with electronic imaging devices, which were eventually to replace

Project Space Track Project Space Track was a research and development project of the US Air Force, to create a tracking system for all artificial satellites of the Earth and space probes, domestic and foreign. Project Space Track was started at the Air Force Cambr ...

's Baker-Nunn photographic system. From 1995 to 2002, the facility was known as the NASA Orbital Debris Observatory and hosted two telescopes funded and operated by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

History

The site near Cloudcroft was selected by AFAL in 1961 after several months of site characterization, and construction began in 1962. First light of the Electro-Optical Surveillance Telescope (EOST) was achieved in 1964. The device was a

Newtonian telescope The Newtonian telescope, also called the Newtonian reflector or just a Newtonian, is a type of reflecting telescope invented by the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton, using a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror. Newton' ...

on a three-axis mount. The azimuth-elevation-azimuth configuration simplified tracking and allowed for good imaging of objects at zenith. Aiming at poorly constrained targets was assisted by two small Naval sight guns placed in domes on opposite corners of the building. The first automated detection system, the FSR-2, was located at the site in the late 1960s in a separate building. It only operated for one year due to technical and financial reasons. AFAL continued Space Object Identification (SOI) research at Cloudcroft until 1975. At that time the facility was transferred to USAF

Space and Missile Systems Organization Space Systems Command (SSC) is the United States Space Force's space development, acquisition, launch, and logistics field command. It is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California and manages the United States' space launch ran ...

(SAMSO). In the late 1970s the facility came under control of the Air Force Geophysical Laboratory, which contracted with Sacramento Peak Observatory to perform various research. Guest researchers also had the opportunity to use the facility. The facility was deactivated in 1982, and in the late 1980s the telescope was transferred to the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA ...

Table Mountain Observatory Table Mountain Observatory (TMO) is an astronomical observation facility operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California Institute of Technology). It is located in Big Pines, California, in Angeles National Forest near Wrightwood, north ...

. In 1995,

began using the facility, which was renamed as NASA Orbital Debris Observatory. A

liquid-mirror telescope Liquid-mirror telescopes are telescopes with mirrors made with a reflective liquid. The most common liquid used is mercury, but other liquids will work as well (for example, low-melting alloys of gallium). The liquid and its container are rotate ...

was built in the main dome, and operated from 1996 to 2001. The facility has since been disposed of by the government, and is now owned by a private astronomical organization, the Tzec Maun Foundation. , a reflecting telescope was being tested in the main dome.

References

External links

NASA Orbital Debris Programs

Tzec Maun Foundation
{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Astronomical observatories in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Otero County, New Mexico Defunct astronomical observatories 1962 establishments in New Mexico

History

See also

References

External links