Stanford Dish
The Stanford Dish, known locally as the Dish, is a radio antenna in the Stanford foothills. The 150-foot-diameter (46 m) dish was built in 1961 by the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International). The cost to construct the antenna was $4.5 million, and was funded by the United States Air Force.[1] In the 1960s the Dish was used to provide information on Soviet radar installations by detecting radio signals bounced off the moon.[2]
Later on, the Dish was used to communicate with satellites and spacecraft. With its unique bistatic range radio communications, where the transmitter and receiver are separate units, the powerful radar antenna was well-suited for communicating with spacecraft in regions where conventional radio signals may be disrupted.[3]
At one point, the Dish transmitted signals to each of the Voyager craft that NASA dispatched into the outer reaches of the solar system.[4] In 1982 it was used to rescue the amateur radio satellite UoSAT-1.[5]
Today
The dish is still actively used today for academic and research purposes.[6] It is owned by the U.S. Government and operated by SRI International. It is used for commanding and calibrating spacecraft and for radio astronomy measurements.[7]
Recreational route
The area around the Dish offers a popular 3.5 mile recreational trail, visited by an average of 1,500–1,800 people daily.[8] The trail around the dish is known for its rolling hills and beautiful views, which on a clear day extend to San Jose, San Francisco, and the East Bay. The Stanford Running Club hosts an annual Dish Race and fun run that forms a 3.25 mile loop around the Dish trail.[9]
While hikers, walkers, and runners are welcome, biking and dogs at the dish are not allowed on the trail. The opening hours are as per the schedule below, roughly matching daylight hours:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
opens (AM) | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:30 |
closes (PM) | 5:00 | 5:30 | 6:30 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 7:00 | 6:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 |
As of June 2018, 360 cows were grazing on the grounds of the Stanford Dish.[10] Stanford leases the land to farmers who own the cows.
References
- ^ "Radar Dish Erected on SU Campus". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 140, no. 7. October 2, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Eliot, Frank. "Moon Bounce Elint". CIA. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 25 March 2019. (Also available as scanned PDF)
- ^ Tuchinsky, Evan. "Stanford Golf Course: A Historical Tour". Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Voyager: The Grand Tour of Big Science". NASA. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ Hora, Reenita Malhotra (2019-11-05). "Tech History: The Story Behind Stanford's Satellite Dish Hiking Trail in Palo Alto". Medium. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Welcome to the Stanford Dish". Stanford University. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "Dish Radio Antenna". SRI International. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ Kim, Ryan (29 April 2004). "Stanford University / Mountain lion attack jolts horse country / Dish Trail users still jog and hike -- but are wary". SFGate. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ ""The Dish Run"". Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Farm Report: At Last Count: 360". Stanford Magazine. No. May 2018.
External links
- Stanford Dish Area - official web page
- SRI Dish page (archive link)
- v
- t
- e
- Units (watt and jansky)
- Radio telescope (Radio window)
- Astronomical interferometer (History)
- Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)
- Astronomical radio source
(List)
- Algonquin Radio Observatory (Canada)
- Arecibo Observatory (Puerto Rico, US)
- Green Bank Observatory (US)
- Haystack Observatory (US)
- Jodrell Bank Observatory (UK)
- Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (UK)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory (US)
- Nançay Radio Observatory (France)
- Onsala Space Observatory (Sweden)
- Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory (PRAO ASC LPI, Russia)
- Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science (SAORAS, Russia)
- Vermilion River Observatory (US)
- DRAO (Canada)
- ESA New Norcia (Australia)
- PARL (Canada)
- Elizabeth Alexander
- John G. Bolton
- Edward George Bowen
- Ronald Bracewell
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell
- Arthur Covington
- Nan Dieter-Conklin
- Frank Drake
- Cyril Hazard
- Antony Hewish
- Sebastian von Hoerner
- Karl Guthe Jansky
- Kenneth Kellermann
- Frank J. Kerr
- John D. Kraus
- Bernard Lovell
- Christiaan Alexander Muller
- Jan Oort
- Joseph Lade Pawsey
- Ruby Payne-Scott
- Arno Penzias
- Grote Reber
- Martin Ryle
- Govind Swarup
- Gart Westerhout
- Paul Wild
- Robert Wilson
EM methods
- Category
- Commons