Aug 28, 2019
Look to the Sky!
If you were in the vicinity of Arguello, California in the 1960s, and saw streaks in the sky, this M-45 mobile camera likely did as well. The unit, photographed here in 1961, could photograph missiles and satellites launched within the Pacific Missile Range. It was one of many optical tracking units at the Naval Missile facility and used a 100-inch lens which could track a projectile at a distance in excess of 100,000 feet. Here we see Don Houchin of the Range Photo Branch watching the sky.
Series: Historical Photograph Files and Press Clippings Files, 1945-1977. Group 181: Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, 1784-2000. (National Archives Identifier 295598).