MDSC celebrates its 60th anniversary

“The eagle has landed.” When man first set foot on the moon, he was the first to know about it Madrid. The Frenedillas de la Oliva Manned Space Flight Station (MSFN) was located at that time vertical with our satellite and was the center for receiving communications with the astronauts. On that day, July 20, 1969, Carlos González Pintado (Farewell to Carlos González Pintado, the Spanish engineer who first heard Neil Armstrong’s words from the Moon | Science) was the only Spanish engineer to receive the words of Apollo 11. From here the news spread. to Houston. And to the rest of the world.

Now NASA celebrates 60th anniversary in Spain. Our country and the United States have been cooperating on space issues for decades, and one of the fruits of this cooperation is Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, in Robledo de ChavelaNASA antenna installation for tracking spacecraft and probes.

This Monday, October 21, the Spanish and American authorities, as well as some scientists leading POT gathered at the Madrid site, topped by a majestic 70-metre diameter antenna (DSS63), to celebrate six decades of cooperation and mark what will be achieved when the cooperation agreements are renewed on 10 June.

The NASA Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) originated in 1964 when Spain, the US government, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) and NASA signed an agreement that Madrid would host one of the three centers that make up the NASA complex. Deep space control network.

The others are in Canberra (Australia) and Goldstone (California); and between the three, separated by 120 degrees of longitude, they allow spacecraft to constantly communicate with the NASA station, regardless of the daily rotational motion of the Earth.

As part of the celebration, all employees (retired and active) were invited to have refreshments, which they shared with NASA and JPL employees. As a result, they got a beautiful family photo.