They could really build geodesic domes in those days. Most of the abandoned domes are intact, after half a century, unmaintained, in an Arctic climate. They're aluminum frames with Fiberglas panels.
Geodesic domes were taken over by the "natural materials" people in the 1960s and 1970s. This doesn't work. Geodesic domes need standard manufactured components built to tight tolerances. Then they just bolt together. Domes built with wood and shingles do not work very well.[1]
Google proposed to build a big geodesic dome for their HQ in Mountain View. It probably would have been better than what they did build, which looks like some kind of sports arena.
There was a huge dish pointing straight up. A friend and I walked around on the dish. There was a very small compartment more or less where the elevation axis was. The slightly creepy feeling I might get stuck in it kept me from going in but my friend did.
Another large structure was likely a transmitter. A large surface with a grid of smaller antennas covering one side.
Most cool to me though were the rooms with 6 foot high panels with all manner of analog meters, switches, lights.... Nothing worked of course, most everything was smashed. I wish now that I had brought some tools and removed as many of the components as I could.
My overall impression was a kind of wonderment that so much money and effort would be expended by the U.S. government to watch for Soviet aircraft/missiles. So much equipment built, foundations poured, cinder blocks stacked...
And then I suppose sophisticated satellites made it all obsolete.
Geodesic domes were taken over by the "natural materials" people in the 1960s and 1970s. This doesn't work. Geodesic domes need standard manufactured components built to tight tolerances. Then they just bolt together. Domes built with wood and shingles do not work very well.[1]
Google proposed to build a big geodesic dome for their HQ in Mountain View. It probably would have been better than what they did build, which looks like some kind of sports arena.
[1] https://www.domerama.com/dome-basics/domebook-1-2/
There was a huge dish pointing straight up. A friend and I walked around on the dish. There was a very small compartment more or less where the elevation axis was. The slightly creepy feeling I might get stuck in it kept me from going in but my friend did.
Another large structure was likely a transmitter. A large surface with a grid of smaller antennas covering one side.
Most cool to me though were the rooms with 6 foot high panels with all manner of analog meters, switches, lights.... Nothing worked of course, most everything was smashed. I wish now that I had brought some tools and removed as many of the components as I could.
My overall impression was a kind of wonderment that so much money and effort would be expended by the U.S. government to watch for Soviet aircraft/missiles. So much equipment built, foundations poured, cinder blocks stacked...
And then I suppose sophisticated satellites made it all obsolete.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Warning_System
An upgrade was recently announced with a collaboration with Australia:
* https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canada-early-warning-de...
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jindalee_Operational_Radar_Net...