Tracking Antenna

Aircraft Operations Control Center

Aircraft Operations Control Center

Briefing Room Meeting

Go Remote

Optical Tracking System

ARIA 330

During the Apollo program, the ARIA antenna had four VHF antennas, one in each quadrant. They were later removed.

This is a picture of the original Aircraft Operations Control Center, ARIA Control, used during Apollo IV, V, and VI. Seated left to right, Capt Tom Hill, Maj. Richard C. "Doc" Weaver, Capt. Peter Goubert, Lt. Col David Woodward and Col. Oakley W. Baron. At the board SSgt Stan Anderson. This picture, from early 1968, was staged. The Apollo IV ground rack on shown the board but only one aircraft, ARIA 375 was used on the mission - the first live test of the ARIA concept. The other aircraft on the board were added "for effect".

This photo appeared in the February 1969 RCA MTP News. It was posed, showing RCA Tech Tom Crawford left with SSgt Stan Anderson at center and A2C Bruce Brennan right. Behind Tom, on the left, is our new computer driven display and to its right is the aircraft status board. The windows at the far right were used to pass messages back and forth from our message center.

This photo was taken at a meeting in the briefing room at the Control Center at Patrick before the Apollo 10 mission. The purpose of the meeting was to work out some testing procedures for ARIA-spacecraft communications with the Apollo 10 crew. Apollo 10 Commander Tom Stafford had gone to test pilot school with Lt. Col Robert Moseley, our assistant division chief. From left to right in the picture: unknown, Maj. Arrelanno, unknown, Apollo 10 astronauts Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford, Major Regan, Lt Col. Frank Pangallo, Lt. Col. Dave Woodward, Lt. Col Bob Moseley, Col Oakley W. Baron, Major Smith and SSgt Stan Anderson.

The attached cartoon is was drawn by one of our DOD Reps to ARIA Control, Jim Plaisted, Maj. USAF, Retired. Jim was a gifted cartoonist who drew several cartoons during the Apollo days. It depicts the fatigue that most of us experienced at the end of an Apollo mission.

ARIA 327 with the Airborne Lightweight Optical Tracking System, ALOTS, pod. This picture was taken circa 1968.

ARIA 330 circa 1968 over the tracking ship Redstone.