Skip to main content
Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. Click on red bar for more information.
[X]

USN 711326: Applied Physics Laboratory Scientists

USN 711326: Applied Physics Laboratory scientists Frederick Mobley, (left), and Robert E. Fischell withdraw section of gravity stabilization boom from canister in which it was later launched atop a Navy satellite. The boom was released in orbit to its full length of 100 feet, with a 40-foot helical damping spring and small-end weight attached. Release of the boom distributed the mass of the satellite in the form of a dumbbell, causing it to be stabilized by the force of gravity with the axis of the boom facing downward. The satellite is passively stabilized by the same forces which have kept the one side of the moon facing Earthward for eons. Photograph released July 22, 1963. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
Download Image:
Low (PNG, 319x319px, 77KB)
Med (JPEG, 1280x1280px, 221KB)
High Res (JPEG, 2276x2860px, 2MB)
Caption: USN 711326: Applied Physics Laboratory scientists Frederick Mobley, (left), and Robert E. Fischell withdraw section of gravity stabilization boom from canister in which it was later launched atop a Navy satellite. The boom was released in orbit to its full length of 100 feet, with a 40-foot helical damping spring and small-end weight attached. Release of the boom distributed the mass of the satellite in the form of a dumbbell, causing it to be stabilized by the force of gravity with the axis of the boom facing downward. The satellite is passively stabilized by the same forces which have kept the one side of the moon facing Earthward for eons. Photograph released July 22, 1963. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
Related Content
Topic
  • Space Exploration
Document Type
  • Photograph
Wars & Conflicts
Navy Communities
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials
  • National Museum of the U.S. Navy
Author Name
Place of Event
Recipient Name