SRI’s iconic antenna celebrates 65 years of looking to space.
Built in 1961 and situated on the Stanford foothills, the 150-foot, 70-ton radio telescope known simply as “the Dish” began its life supporting Cold War defense research, studying the ionosphere to help the U.S. detect Soviet nuclear missiles.
Over the decades, it has evolved into a key instrument for space exploration, contributing to missions that tracked solar wind; analyzed the surfaces of the Moon, Venus, and Mars ahead of NASA landings; and recently supported NASA’s InSight mission to Mars by communicating with CubeSats over a million miles away.
Still active today, the Dish is collecting data for a next-generation GPS satellite experiment. SRI plans to replace its mesh reflector surface and keep the antenna running for years to come. A Silicon Valley landmark and a quiet workhorse of American science, the Dish remains one of the largest movable antennas in the world.
Read the full story in the M-A Chronicle.
