The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1962-02-23
DARE IN SPACE AGE
NASA1 CHIEF STATES
AT ROTARY MEETING
frAcking Station AT Coquina
Beach To Help Solve Re-En-
try for Langley Center

Ddfe O0unty mas jumped 1eet
first into the missile age, according
to William J. Boyer, Chief of the
Tracking System Section Section
of instrumental Research, at Lang
ley Research Center who told some
forty members of the Manteo Ro-
tary Club and their guests about
the operation of the Coquina Beach
Tracking Station on Monday even
ing.
Boyer, q representative of the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, NASA, for short,
spoke at length on missile develop
ment in the space-age center at
Langley, explained the technical de-
tails of work there, and punctuated
his address with a brilliantly photo
graphed movie entitled "Little
joe which left the Rotarians and
their friends awed and slightly be-
fuddled by the highly complex ma
ture Of the work depicted in the
well filmed documentary.
The color movie featured numer-
oua Sparkling, color shots Of, rocket
launches from the Wallops Island
site, Of which the Coquina station
viii become a part. Every stage Of
research at Langley was well cover
ed IN the film which included photo
graphs Of capsule recoveaies at sea.
One scene, Of particular interest to
the local group, brought Astronauts
Allan Shepard and Virgil Grisson
within camera range as they stood
on board q destroyer off Hatteras
awaiting the return of monkey
from Q voyage into space.
Project Mercury was conceived
at Langley before the NASA was
established. After NASA was Great,
ed, the Space Task Group was
formed as an Independent unit with
headquarters at Langley to conduct
the Nations first man-in-space pro
gram. Boyer explained how Lang.
ley's facilities have been utilizes
In providing the basic information
needed or development OF the Mer
curry spacecraft, which is now II
use at Cape Canaveral.
The Coquina Beach Station viii
be used in conjunction with cur
rent tests at Waliops Island 10 alt
IN the re-entry problems wnicf
plague NASA researchers. Iht
tracking station In Dare VIII p
loaded with antennae and cameras
TO zero-ln" on the 67-foot-lonf
missiles which are being fired from
the Virginia base.
The local station, which is about
5 miles south of Mays Head, viii
contain an acquisition and tracking
antenna with X-band and T. M
Receiving Station, system valued
at 100000. Optical equipment fol
the site will be composed OF !
uniquely synchronized camera sys
tenn which Is integrated with TN
Waiiops and Eastviiie stations. Im'
highly-ccmpiex camera system u
the only one OF ITS KIND IN IN.
world and requires the real Tune
shutter speeds Tor all UNITS 70 D
actioned at one-miliioneth OF q sec
ond.
The missiles will be photographed
as they re-enter the atmosphere, q
time when the excessive heat
which is generated by approaching
atmospheric layers nearer TIL
earth, produces an almost iricandes
cent glow from the surface Of tn,
thin projectiles. Camera studies
win enable NASA pi sonnel to de
termine exactly hovfas7t the roc
ket-propelled vehicA STaSre travel
ing and where thsy were, befor'
being consumed Dysheat.
The local site, which was begun
on Nov. II features three towers
is feet tall and is in. III diameter
which are supports for the equip
ment, which will rest atop gal
vanixed catwalk, when work is com
pleted. Installation Of detection
equipment for missile tracking il