The Chaguaramas Tracking Station and the Cold War
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The Chaguaramas Tracking Station
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At the end of the Radio Tower Road opens out to a flat pasture where the old Chaguaramas Tracking Station is located. The station was a secret project built by the United States in the 1950s during the height of the cold war to monitor nuclear warhead launches from the Eastern Bloc and serve as a relay station for intelligence for a counter-attack if necessary.
The station was successful in tracking objects such as Sputnik_3 and a Jupiter missile launched from Cape Carnaveral. On August 12th 1960 the station made history, successfully transmitting radio signals from Chaguaramas to New York via the Echo I satellite, it was the first intercontinental voice transmission via an Earth satellite.
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Tracking Station at Night
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Today the station is marked as a historical landmark, frequented by tourists, astrology clubs and star gazers. The station is but one site developed during the World War II era as Trinidad, more specifically Chaguaramas was a perfect vantage point for the US and its allies.
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ReplyDeleteI didn't actually know this story. Thanks for posting it. I heard about this place but never actually got a chance to visit. Trinidad has such a rich history that we don't preserve and cherish. I hope to check this place out soon.
ReplyDeleteNo problem Lauren and thank you for taking the time to read this article, my post on Chacachacare and Nelson island also offers some more of information on Trinidad's rich history you can check it out here -
Deletehttps://discoverchaguaramas.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-ruins-of-chacachacare.html