Radio Meteor Project (Harvard College Observatory) Search this
Extent:
109.20 cu. ft. (86 record storage boxes) (40 tall document boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Electronic records
Black-and-white negatives
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place:
Havana (Ill.)
Date:
circa 1959-1971
Descriptive Entry:
This record unit consists of films of meteors detected by the radar system at Havana, Illinois, circa 1960-1970; computer printouts containing data on meteors observed,
circa 1966-1971; and computer tapes, circa 1965-1970.
Historical Note:
Created in 1958, the Radio Meteor Project analyzed the meteoric mass, velocity, orbital parameters, and physical phenomena associated with the atmospheric entry of
micrometeoroids at heights of 86 to 110 km. Data was gathered by a multi-station radar system, based in Havana, Illinois. From 1958 to 1966, the project was under the administrative
control of the Harvard College Observatory (HCO), with project staff including both HCO and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) scientists. Principal funding for the
project was from contracts with the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In 1966, administration of the project was transferred
to SAO. The project was terminated in 1971, and the radar facility at Havana was transferred to the University of Illinois. SAO administrative officers of the Radio Meteor
Project included Dorik Mechau, 1966; C. Hagge, 1966-1970; and Harris E. Rosenthal, 1970-1971. Chief scientific investigators of the project included Gerald S. Hawkins, Richard
B. Southworth, and Richard E. McCrosky.
