SATELLITE-TRACKING PROGRAM — HAYES 349 



The first Baker-Nunn films of Satellite 1957 a 1 were taken at 

 South Pasadena on October 17 and at the Organ Pass station in New 

 Mexico on November 26; of 1957 Beta, New Mexico, December 13; of 

 1958 Alpha, South Africa, March 18, 1958; and of 1958 Beta, New 

 Mexico, March 19, 1958. 



Of the 12 Baker-Nunn camera stations, the two in Australia and 

 Japan were staffed entirely by nationals, and equipped by them ex- 

 cept for the camera, clock, and electronic accessories. In some of the 

 other countries, at least one national was on the staff of the station, 

 and usually several others provided practical support for station 

 operations. 



There were three types of stations. First, there were those wholly 

 operated by fully professional astronomers or their equivalents; these 

 were the stations in Tokyo, India, and Australia, where all or most of 

 the staff were nationals. Second, there were the wholly American 

 groups in Florida, Hawaii, and New Mexico. The remaining six 

 were a "mixed" operation, which proved to be eminently successful. 

 At these stations the Observatory had to develop a working relation- 

 ship between its own high-speed, fairly well integrated organization 

 and the local people working at and with the station; and because 

 this was essentially an American-oriented scientific program and be- 

 cause in most of the countries there was a lack of personnel trained 

 to do the technical work at the station, the chief of the group was an 

 American. 



The Observatory program had been based on the assumption that 

 at most each station would have to observe not more than three or 

 four satellites during a single night's operation. Actually the de- 

 mands became much heavier as more and more satellites were launched 

 in 1958 and in the years to follow. It is a remarkable tribute to 

 designers and builders of the Baker-Nunn camera and the associated 

 equipment that the stations have proved capable of meeting this ever 

 increasing responsibility. 



Again, a historical accident as far as the Americans were con- 

 cerned offered the time necessary for the stations to develop into a 

 smooth, efficient network. If after Sputnik I the Eussians had im- 

 mediately launched Sputnik II, III, IV, V, and VI — all of them 

 designed for long life — and if Vanguard had been initially successful 

 the Observatory w^ould have had to reorganize its program. For- 

 tunately, with only two or three objects to track during those first 

 few months opportunity was provided for slower but better develop- 

 ment of techniques. The stations' basic problem in the early days 

 was making the equipment work and getting reliable results. It was 

 necessarily a program of trial and error. At each station the staff 

 would develop their own particular means and methods of tracking 

 satellites. Some were good, some were mediocre, some w^ere dowm- 



