I had the good fortune to call into the Lunar Laser Ranging facility at Orroral Valley while it was operational. I was running a training exercise at the time for the AFP Mobile Command Post. The techs there were kind enough to fire up the laser for us to do some collimation testing.
Quite a clever setup, the bench mounted laser fired its beam along PVC plumbing pipes with diagonal mirrors in the elbows. Thus the beam was directed to primary mirror and out. The collimation target was a reflector set on the other side of the valley on a rockface.
Their daily tasks were tracking satellites and also measuring continental drift.
On my second visit the laser's target was the reflectors left on the lunar surface by Apollo crews.
The facility closed and its role is now undertaken at Mt Stromlo's Satellite Laser Ranging facility.
welll i'll be!
i'm a geologist and now an AA, i grew up at Glendale crossing just near Orroral and didn't no nuffin about it. to know it played a role in defining plate tectonics is cool.
we used to see "strange lights" up the Orroral valley from our place; stationary - then moving very rapidly - disappearing. i was sceptical (of course but others put it down to aliens checking out the tracking station.
L
Location: '34 South' Young Hilltops LGA, Australia
Posts: 1,481
Our school astro club took a tour in 197 and this included a visit to Orroral Valley. I think we saw it operate a ranging measurement on the moon. It was llmost 40 years ago, memories are a bit hazy. Much clearer memories of Siding Spring and Mt Stromlo.
but others put it down to aliens checking out the tracking station.
