REINTERPRETING PIONEER DEEP SPACE STATION Alexander Paul
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REINTERPRETING PIONEER DEEP SPACE STATION Alexander Paul Ray Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Historic Preservation Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation Columbia University May 2017 Ray 0 Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………......….1 List of figures …………………………………………………………………………........2 Introduction ……………………….…………………………………………………...…..3 Part I: Relevance to the preservation field Definition of a space probe Why should preservationists be involved? What should audiences take away? Part II: Methodology Literature review Case study selection Terminology Chapter 1: Historical context ……………………………………………………….…..17 Why are space probes historically significant? History of robotic space exploration in the United States Chapter 2: Interpretive content ………………………………………………….……..48 Pioneer as case study Statement of interpretive themes Development of interpretive themes Chapter 3: Current interpretations of historic space probes ………………….……...62 Public perception Audience Current interpretation Effective methods Chapter 4: Proposal for reinterpreting Pioneer Deep Space Station …………….…..83 Conclusion …………………………………………….………………………………...111 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………….…....113 Ray 0 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I want to thank my thesis advisor, Jessica Williams. Simply put, I could not have imagined a better person to work with on this thing. Thanks also to all of the Historic Preservation faculty for their support, and in particular Paul Bentel and Chris Neville for their helpful feedback last semester. I am also especially grateful to my thoughtful readers, Will Raynolds and Mark Robinson. My gratitude also goes out to the entire Lunar Reconnaissance Obiter Camera team at Arizona State University. Having the opportunity to meet with these talented and welcoming people got me excited to write about space probes. Last but not least, thank you to all of my classmates. Sorry there weren’t any other guys in our year, but it could have been worse. Ray 1 List of figures Figure 1 Explorer 1 press conference. .......................................................................................... 21 Figure 2 Engineering model of Explorer 1 ................................................................................... 21 Figure 3 Explorer 3 tape recorder ................................................................................................. 23 Figure 4 Data reduction volunteers ............................................................................................... 23 Figure 5 Mariner 2 data................................................................................................................. 26 Figure 6 Mariner 4 image of Mars ................................................................................................ 26 Figure 7 Diagram of Pioneer 10.................................................................................................... 29 Figure 8 Pioneer 10/11 plaque ...................................................................................................... 34 Figure 9 Diagram of Voyager 1 and 2 .......................................................................................... 38 Figure 10 Voyager golden record ................................................................................................. 41 Figure 11 Deep Space Communications Complex at Canberra, Australia ................................... 43 Figure 12 Pioneer Deep Space Station.......................................................................................... 51 Figure 13 Pioneer 10 image of Jupiter .......................................................................................... 53 Figure 14 Pioneer 10 image calibration ........................................................................................ 55 Figure 15 James Van Allen press conference ............................................................................... 60 Figure 16 Milestones of Flight, Smithsonian National Air and Space museum ........................... 68 Figure 17 Orbit Pavilion, interior ................................................................................................. 75 Figure 18 Pulse of Exploration ..................................................................................................... 77 Figure 19 A New Moon Rises ........................................................................................................ 79 Figure 20 When the Computer Wore a Skirt: NASA’s Human Computers ................................... 81 Figure 21 George Ludwig with the Explorer 3 science payload .................................................. 94 Figure 22 George Ludwig transcribes Explorer 3 data ................................................................. 94 Figure 23 Jupiter ion acoustic waves ............................................................................................ 96 Figure 24 Jovian whistlers ............................................................................................................ 96 Figure 25 Earth whistlers .............................................................................................................. 96 Figure 26 Concept study for Pioneer 10/11 imaging photopolarimeter window installation ....... 99 Figure 27 Further concept for Pioneer 10/11 imaging photopolarimeter window ....................... 99 Figure 28 Pioneer 10 color filters ............................................................................................... 100 Figure 29 Annotated site plan, Pioneer Deep Space Station ...................................................... 101 Figure 30 Explorer 1 graphs ....................................................................................................... 103 Figure 31 Magnetic tape reel ...................................................................................................... 105 Figure 32 Annabell Hudmon with magnetic tape reels .............................................................. 106 Figure 33 Map showing distribution of Pioneer 10 principal investigators, United States ........ 107 Figure 34 Detail map showing distribution of Pioneer 10 principal investigators, California ... 107 Ray 2 INTRODUCTION This project argues for the interpretation of NASA’s historic space probes. Robotic space exploration programs have permanently transformed humans’ understanding of Earth, but the probes at the center of NASA’s first pioneering missions to deep space in the 1960s and 1970s will never return to their origin. Today, the historical significance of these objects is embodied in a network of resources that reflect triumphs of human curiosity, not just advancements in technology. The widely unrecognized contributions that women and men made to the history of “unmanned” space exploration reveal themselves on Earth through the enduring infrastructure that humans built and the data that humans rendered in their pursuit to understand the Solar System. After a review of the existing literature on outer space preservation, I outline the historical significance of space probes and establish interpretive themes designed to articulate the perspective that probes help generate, the human ingenuity underlying the development and operation of probes, and the impact of discoveries that robotic space exploration has enabled. I argue that by relying on the data returned to Earth by space probes and by considering a significant site at which these data were historically received, space probes can be meaningfully interpreted for public audiences. The project concludes with a proposal for reinterpreting the Pioneer Deep Space Station radio antenna site at Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, based on analysis of current interpretations and effective case study methods. Part I: Relevance to the preservation field Definition of a space probe A space probe is an unpiloted, unmanned device sent to explore space and gather scientific information. A space probe is launched from Earth with a set of scientific Ray 3 instruments and tools used to study the atmosphere and composition of space and other planets, moons, or celestial bodies… Most probes transmit data from space by radio.1 Why should preservationists be involved in the interpretation of historic space probes? Preservationists are needed to articulate the historical significance of space probes and of the data that these probes recorded. Although professionals from other fields have worked to engage audiences around NASA’s contemporary missions, or to educate the public in planetary science through the findings of space exploration missions, or to celebrate important individuals who worked on trailblazing projects at NASA, meaningful connections can be made between these topics through the utilization of a place-based expression of historical context. Preservationists are uniquely equipped to describe and represent the significance of places, and in this case to articulate a perspective of the Solar System that draws from an understanding of historic technology. Audiences should engage with the stories of scientists and the artifacts associated with their work in a meaningful setting that contributes to an expression of the historical context within which this collection of resources achieved significance. Expressing a sense of place is important to this project, both on the scale of the Solar System and in terms of the chosen setting