1st Aerospace Control Squadron The 1st Aerospace Surveillance and Control Squadron , a unit of the USAF Air Defense Command , was activated on 6 February 1961 , organized on 14 February 1961 , and became operational on 1 July 1961 as the SPACETRACK component of NORAD SPADATS . It was the operational version of research and development Project Space Track . Effective 1 October 1961 , the Squadron was assigned to the 9th Aerospace Defense Division , which had been activated on 15 July 1961 . The Squadron name was changed to 1st Aerospace Control Squadron on 1 July 1962 , but it was still informally called just 1st Aero . The unit was inactivated on 21 April 1976 . Until April 1966 , when operations were moved to the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex , 1st Aero was located on the bottom two floors of Ent AFB building P4 Annex , a former hospital building , adjacent to the NORAD command center . The Space Defense Center , operated by 1st Aero , became fully operational at 0001Z , 6 February 1967 . Mission . 1st Aero was responsible for tracking all artificial earth satellites , space probes , carrier rockets , and debris , US and foreign . The mission included detecting additional objects previously unknown and maintaining a complete catalogue . The mission is now performed by the 614th Air & Space Operations Center , part of the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB , California . An important additional mission is forecasting possible collisions in space . Awards . Supporting unit , 4608th Support Squadron , ADC , 1 February 1960 – 30 April 1962 Air Force Outstanding Unit Award , 1 June 1961 – 15 September 1963 Outstanding Air Defense Unit of the Air Defense Command , Air Force Association , September 1963 Air Force Outstanding Unit Award , 1 July 1973 – 30 June 1974 Official Emblem . The 1st Aero emblem was approved on 6 February 1962 . Description . On an Air Force blue rectangular area a stylized computer above a semicircular geometrical pattern all surmounted by a stylized satellite , its four antennae saltirewise , all Air Force golden yellow ; the satellite charged with an Air Force blue star ; issuing from dexter chief a portion of the sun in splendor , and in sinister chief a formation of stars , Air Force golden yellow . Motto . On an Air Force golden yellow scroll , edged and inscribed Air Force blue , PRIMARII AETHERIS DEFENSORES , Space Defenders of the First Rank . Significance . The emblem is symbolic of the squadron and its mission . Against a background resembling in shape the fan - like radar of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System , deep blue in color to represent the sky , and supplemented with the sun and stars to indicate day and night operations , a stylized satellite of the Vanguard class symbolizes the squadron as the Vanguard of Aerospace Defense . The satellite surmounts two symbols representing a computer for analyses and computations and a detection system with the capability of the MIDAS system and world - wide sensors . The solitary star on the satellite indicates that this is the first organization of this type . Unofficial emblem . In 1961 , 1st Aero had a competition to select the squadron emblem , with ideas to be posted on the bulletin board . One anonymous suggestion , surreptitiously posted in the middle of the night , proved so popular that Colonel Miller , the Squadron Commander , had copies made for all squadron members and other people who supported the squadron . Here is the text posted with the submission : Blazoning ( Symbology ) . Central in our noble emblem is a crystal ball , rampant on a field of confusion , depicted floating in a sea of coffee . The yellow streak , or batton sinister ( heraldic mark of illegitimation , commonly called the bastards ' barr ) maintains balance between the traditional ADC Azure ( Shade 84 ) [ the official color of USAF uniforms ] and NORAD purpure [ NORAD was sometimes considered purple , the staff being a combination of Army red and Air Force and Navy blue ] . Unfortunately , this line of demarcation is not quite long enough to keep things from getting confused . [ This is a reference to the ongoing tension between NORAD and ADC , at times even involving CINCNORAD General Lawrence S . Kuter , and the ADC Commander , Lt Gen Robert M . Lee ; both sometimes appearing distinctly unfriendly . ] Emblazoned , dexter chief and sinister base , are the symbols of the accuracy within which we attempt to maintain our orbital ephemerides [ plus and minus infinity ] . Beneath the shield , the heroic name of our noble organization will be forever proclaimed on a roll of six - ply carbon paper . The crest , above the shield , is a crying towel , presented with the compliments of the 496L SPO [ the SPO responsible for the development of Project Space Track ] . It is supported by two wings , depicting the hopeful thought that , if things get too tough , you can always go fly . Sensors . 1st Aero had essentially the same set of sensors used by Project Space Track , described in detail in that article , with the addition of two additional Baker - Nunn cameras , one of which was used by the Royal Canadian Air Force at Cold Lake , Alberta , Canada . In March 1961 , the Laredo sensor was transferred from the Air Research and Development Command to the Air Defense Command . It was designated Detachment 1 , 1st Aerospace Surveillance and Control Squadron , on 1 July 1961 , Major Lloyd C . Hill , Commander . In January 1968 , the System 440L Over - the - Horizon radar became initially operational . In 1968 , SPACETRACK was also supported by the Royal Radar Establishment , Great Malvern , Worcestershire , England . By mid - 1969 , three USAF Baker - Nunn cameras were operated in support of SPACETRACK under the 18th Surveillance Squadron at Edwards AFB CA ( Jupiter , Florida ; Johnston Island , central Pacific ; and Mt . John , New Zealand ) despite serious questions in 1968 about their on - going utility in view of increasing radar tracking accuracies . An FPS - 85 phased array radar became operational at Eglin AFB , Florida , in May 1970 . Orbital computations . 1st Aero used the methods of orbital prediction developed by Dr . Eberhart W . Wahl at Project Space Track in 1957 , which computed ephemerides based on standard Keplerian orbits . This excellent technique became less and less useful as a satellite got lower into the atmosphere , encountering drag , which made it difficult to forecast the ephemeris of the satellite accurately . Because of this , in 1959 , Lt Cotter at Space Track had the questionable pleasure of being the first person to lose track of an artificial earth satellite , Explorer IV , for which he was the Department of Defense orbital analyst . The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory lost it a day or two later and only Mr . Arthur S . Leonard , of the Sacramento Moonwatch Team , was able to continue tracking somewhat longer , using his own special observational methods . By 1962 , the situation was somewhat better . The Soviet satellite Sputnik 4 was slowly entering lower orbits because of the atmospheric drag . Using a new program , Satellite General Perturbations Differential Corrections ( SGPDC ) , and observations from the Shemya radar , 2d Lt Vander Stucken , the orbital analyst for the decay , plotted the changing orbital period and was able to predict the exact revolution on which the satellite reentered . A 20 - pound piece of it landed on a street in downtown Manitowoc , Wisconsin on the western shore of Lake Michigan . Not all 1st Aero satellite tracking was done by looking at computer printouts . In January 1964 , 1st Lt Ivan Thomas was the DOA for the launch of Echo 2 ( 1964 - 04A ) . He alerted his co - workers to go to the third - floor balcony of the 1st Aero building and said " Look up – NOW " so they could watch the satellite pass overhead . To make progress in automating ephemeris forecasts , Aeronutronic and TRW developed sophisticated new programs . 1st Aero orbital analysts evaluated the two programs : Lt Vander Stucken ( now 1st Lt ) studied the Aeronutronic submission , Spiral Decay , designed by Geoff Hilton and programmed and validated by Patricia Crossin . Dr . Louis G . Walters was the Manager and Systems Engineer . Spiral Decay was funded to support the USAF space program , which had been experiencing trouble with satellites , such as incorrect orientation at propulsion events , some of which reentered carrying sensitive equipment . It was desired to know more accurately where the reentry would occur in case salvage was possible . Captains Craig and Strub and Lt Clark worked with Aeronutronic on the project . Detailed astrodynamics reports of this and other Aeronutronic support of Project Space Track and 1st Aero are on file at the offices of Lockheed Martin ( formerly Loral Corporation ) in Colorado Springs , Colorado . An index of the reports is at the National Museum of the Air Force . Lt Clark studied the TRW submission , Electronic Systems Precision Orbit Determination ( ESPOD ) . ESPOD had been developed for Program 437 to enable computation of trajectories for satellite intercept . As a demonstration of the effectiveness of Spiral Decay , the program was used to forecast the reentry of Soviet Cosmos 23 ( 1963 - 050A ) on Good Friday 1964 . Public media had been alerted to the impending decay and many people in Canada saw the fiery reentry . One racetrack even dimmed the lights to enhance the show . Spiral Decay was considered a more sophisticated program than ESPOD and it used much less computer time to attain more accurate results . It was selected as the 1st Aero standard for analysis , significantly helping predict future decay trajectories . It was also adopted as the primary computer capability for weapon engagement and was very useful in more precisely locating sensors , such at the radar at Diyarbakır , Turkey . On 1 March 1965 , the rocket body of Cosmos 61 exploded between revolutions 1 and 2 , giving 1st Aero another challenge to catalog the many fragments . Because the orbital period was 106 minutes , the fragments would not decay quickly . Special techniques were needed to overcome the extensive manual operations needed in the 1961 breakup of the Transit 4A carrier rocket . Two computer programs , SPACESWEEP and ALTEC , the latter written for the IBM 1620 computer by the Special Projects Division , aided automation of the task [ but , when Cosmos 200 broke up on 23 January 1968 , the breakup created severe problems to the Space Defense Center because of the amount of manual work needed ] . Also in March 1965 , the Special Projects Division was supporting evaluation of the upgraded Shemya radar and the associated computer , in a project nicknamed BLUE FOX . . BLUE FOX used Spiral Decay and ESPOD to determine the accuracy of the new Shemya system , tracking satellites Transit 2A and ANNA 1B , an SAFSP satellite , since declassified . The BLUE FOX results , showing radar range biases of 129 meters or less , proved that the Shemya FPS - 80M was now the most accurate tracking radar in the system . Another major progress was increasing automation of the correlation of observations with known satellites . Some problems that developed required effort by 1st Aero personnel to overcome : for example , contractors ' software sometimes used different values for important mathematical constants , making the orbital computation results different , depending on which program was used . 1st Lt Rodney M . Larson played an important role in these efforts . 1st Aero orbital elements , along with those computed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , were included in the Satellite Situation Reports regularly published by Goddard . The element sets were passed in a standardized two - line format ( which Lt Katz enjoyed referring to as " elephant sets . " ) In 1963 and 1964 , Dr . Wackernagel presented two short courses in celestial mechanics to officers newly assigned to 1st Aero . These assignments replaced some of the original squadron complement who were being reassigned or left the service . Operations . In April 1961 a Philco 2000 computer had been installed in Building P4 Annex at Ent AFB for dedicated 1st Aero use . The Phlco 2000 was considered the fastest computer in the world at the time of installation . 1st Aero still used IBM punch cards for data , as did Project Space Track . The Philco 2000 was infamous for devouring the cards . The computer was programmed using FORTRAN for batch processing and the TAC assembly language for other work . However , Orbital Analysts still had Friden Square Root Calculators on their desks , a necessary tool . Project Space Track at Laurence G . Hanscom Field MA was the backup facility for 1st Aero operations . About 49 hours before 1st Aero became operational , the Navy ' s Transit 4A carrier rocket exploded . Orbital analysts at 1st Aero and at the Hanscom backup achieved a landmark in satellite tracking by identifying 296 of the fragments . Details of this event and the subsequent development of tools for analysis of breakups are at Project Space Track . From 25 March to 6 April 1962 , the 1st Aero orbital computations were transferred to Project Space Track while the Ent AFB computer was being modified . Effective 5 June 1962 , several 1st Aero officers were reassigned to L . G . Hanscom Field to activate the SPACETRACK Center Alternate Facility ( SCAF ) as a backup for the Colorado Springs center . In mid - 1962 , the NORAD DCS / Intelligence ( J - 2 ) expressed his appreciation to 1st Aero for the information and expert technical assistance provided in support of NORAD analysis of the Soviet VOSTOK III and VOSTOK IV operations . In the third quarter of calendar 1962 , 1st Aero ' s operations center was renamed SPACETRACK Operations Center instead of the former SPADAT Operations Center . In the third quarter of calendar 1963 , the 1st Aero organization was changed to include a Central Computer & Display Facility ( CC & DF ) separate from the SPACETRACK Center . By this time , the SPACETRACK Center had six Divisions : Operations , Space Object Identification , Analysis , Research , Programming , and Intelligence . In early November 1963 , 1st Lt Phillips R . Granberry was the orbital analyst for a new Soviet launch , which had occurred on 1 November . In plotting the observations made by the BMEWS radar at Flylingdales Moor , England , and other sensors he noticed that the data showed an apparent change in the satellite ' s orbital period . Puzzled , he showed his data to Capt Frederick C . Eaton , who realized that the Soviets had boosted the satellite , changing the orbit . The two officers alerted the NORAD Space Intelligence Division , which passed the information to the intelligence community , where it was received with much interest . This confirmed a boast by Soviet Premier Khruschev that the Russians had a maneuverable satellite , something that had been treated with some disbelief . It is now known that the satellite , called Polyot , was in fact a prototype orbital carrier rocket for an antisatellite system . Only one other Polyot was launched ( in April 1964 ) ; the system never became operational . In mid - 1965 , there was concern that two Soviet satellites had attempted a rendezvous in space . Thanks to a seemingly overnight miracle , Ralph Schinnerer of Aeronutronic combined the existing XROADS and GROUNDTRACK programs into a new program that could compare the relative positions of two satellites . This enabled the Duty Orbital Analyst to prove that a rendezvous had not taken place . [ In fact , Ralph had been developing the program while at Hanscom Field in support of Project Space Track but it had not previously been available for use . He called his program COMBO , which was appropriate , but later gave it the formal name , Computation of Miss Between Orbits . ] COMBO , with some modifications , continues to be a major program in the Space Track arsenal at Vandenberg AFB , as it enables forecasts of possible collisions in space , a major concern for all satellite programs , manned and unmanned . One major improvement in operations was the creation of a new career field , Space Object Identification Analyst ( DSOIA ) ( AFSC 2025B ) . This was made possible by some improvement in radar imaging , still primitive , but enabling better assessment of which objects were satellite payloads , which carrier rockets , and which debris . The DSOIAs exchanged information with the NORAD Space Intelligence Division . Intelligence information about the mission of foreign satellites was also primitive . Public announcements by launching agencies and comparison with past launches were both useful . At one point in time , DSOIA duties were also performed by officers at remote sites , including Diyarbakır , Turkey . By the early 1970s , the work was consolidated at Colorado Springs , so that DSOIAs did not have to have remote duty tours . In later years , special telescopes were deployed to assist in identification . In 1966 , although he was not formally a DSOIA , Ralph Schinnerer achieved an interesting object identification : The Gemini IV astronauts saw what appeared to be a nearby space object . Ralph used the COMBO program , but it did not identify any nearby satellites . Shortly thereafter , he was furnished a short movie clip of the mystery object taken by the astronauts . Analysing its motion , he determined that it was probably something associated with the spacecraft , perhaps dangling from a tether . 1st Aero personnel supported the NORAD exhibit in the United States Pavilion at the New York World ' s Fair in 1964 . Operational details . 1st Aero operations were based on the techniques developed at Project Space Track . By 1962 , initial observations were processed by the Report Association Program ( RASSN ) which ran automatically twice a day plus twice for BMEWS data . The program associated observations with known orbits . The output of the program , plus data from the Checker Program ( SRCHEK ) , was sent to the Duty Space Surveillance Officer and Technician ( DSSO / DSST ) for review with some assistance from the Duty Orbital Analyst ( DOA ) as needed . After the daily RASSN runs had been checked , one element correction run was made using the Satellite General Perturbations Differential Corrections ( SGPDC ) program . This automation was a definite improvement on the manual data plotting done at Project Space Track in 1960 . In those days , the DOA would plot data points showing the difference in the time the satellite crossed the equator versus the current ephemeris prediction ( on the ordinate ) against the time of observation ( on the abscissa ) . He would manually sketch a line as a best estimate of the fit to the data and choose a few points on either side of the line . He then filled out a form with these data points . The form was used to input the data at the IBM 709 computer ( earlier the IBM 610 ) , which ran a least squares fit and produced improved orbital elements . None of this manual procedure was normally necessary by 1962 and the DSSO was able to handle the operation and produce the necessary Bulletin and Look Angles , which sent ephemerides to sensors and other interested parties ( bulletin and look angle details at Project Space Track ) . Information from the latest Bulletins for unclassified satellites ( now over 200 ) was posted on the Satellite Situation Board in the DSSO / DSST area . About 600 to 800 observations remained unassociated daily . The unassociated observations were passed to the DOA for consideration . Many of these observations in 1962 were of the several hundred pieces from the explosion of the carrier rocket of 1961 Omicron in June 1961 , not all yet in known orbits . If the DOA thought the uncorrelated observations were from pieces associated with a known satellite , he could run the REDUCTION program with the elements of the known satellite and plot the resulting information to distinguish the remaining pieces . So manual plotting was still an important operation for the DOA . Other special DOA activity occurred when a satellite neared decay . When the orbital period fell below 90 minutes , the DSSO notified the DOA and a special analyst was normally assigned to monitor the decay . In the unusual case of the decay of a Discoverer recovery vehicle that had not come down where programmed , the DOA had access to a special computer program , GRNTRK , which provided a sub - satellite trace for one revolution , to assist in specifying the track . New friendly launches were handled by a DOA dedicated to the task but , in the case of new Soviet launches , an Analyst for Intelligence was assigned . There were two of these in 1962 ( Lt Eric B . Nelson and Lt Gordon E . Markham ) . Around 1970 , two TSgts , experienced Space Surveillance Technicians , were selected to be Orbital Analysts . They performed very well but , not having college education , they did not get into the astrodynamic details and , not being officers , they could not be awarded AFSC 2025 . Analysis of interplanetary and lunar probe launches were handled by Special Project Analysts , who had several special astrodynamic programs to assist in computations . The Encke program ( MUNENDC ) was used when the vehicle was within 125 earth radii and the Interplanetary program ( IPPD ) , adjusting for planetary perturbations , for vehicles beyond that distance . The Special Project Analysts also handled special requests for such things as very accurate orbital elements or decay information for a satellite ( as might be required by research or educational groups ) . These analysts also monitored incoming technical papers , attended technical meetings to obtain information which was of use to the mission , and monitored improvements in decay forecasts . Special Project Analysts included Maj Cassidy , Capt Craig , and Lts Clark , Larson , and Rivero . References . Except as noted , all documents referenced are in the archives of the National Museum of the United States Air Force , Wright - Patterson AFB , Ohio . For JPEG copies of the references , see the Talk Page . External links . 9th Aerospace Defense Division lineage