Radio Connects US Missile Silos for First Time Since 1960s

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Radio Connects US Missile Silos for First Time Since 1960s

Two United States missile silos have made radio contact with one another for the first time since the 1960s. This time, however, it was a contact between civilian.

The Atlas F Missile silo in Plattsburgh, New York, possessed the kind of military readiness in the 1960s that reflected an American nation poised for war. Among those sites decommissioned by the US military in 1965, one silo within a mile of the border with Canada showed a different kind of readiness on the 19th of August. On that day, the activation was for an amateur radio contact. Despite difficult band conditions, a successful QSO was logged - and it was with another deactivated missile silo, this one in Texas.

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Tropical Storm Hilary: Amateur Radio Activates

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Tropical Storm Hilary: Amateur Radio Activates

Amateur Radio operators activated on Sunday, August 20, 2023 to provide communications and information for Tropical Storm Hilary. As of mid-morning Sunday, the system was moving up the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, expected to cross into Southern California. Heavy rains were falling in San Diego, and local media reported that 250 airline flights had been cancelled.

Amateur radio operations began Sunday morning. The WX4NHC amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center was on air.

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Arecibo Observatory Officially Shuts Down

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The Arecibo Observatory, which recently suffered catastrophic damage to its 305-meter telescope, has officially shut down all research efforts.

Since the collapse of the main telescope in 2020, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) had intended to convert the facility into an educational research center, but doubts have risen whether that plan will pan out.

After weathering hurricanes, earthquakes, budget cuts and a pandemic-induced shutdown, the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is closing its doors on 14 August. After its main instrument collapsed two years ago, the site was supposed to shift from carrying out astronomy and other research to being a science education centre. But concrete plans for that have yet to materialize — and funding for current operations has run out.

Media Story - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/closing-down-an-icon-will-arecibo-observatory-ever-do-science-again1/#:~:text=After%20weathering%20hurricanes%2C%20earthquakes%2C%20budget,its%20doors%20on%2014%20August