Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Launched in May 1976, LAGEOS (Laser Geodynamics Satellite) has provided long-term data on key geophysical properties of the Earth, including movement of tectonic plates, and measurement of the planet's gravitational field and the "wobble" in the axis of rotation.

The satellite design was elegantly simple--it carried no onboard sensors, electronics, or moving parts, and was not attitude controlled. It consisted of a brass core surrounded by a sphere of aluminum embedded with 426 cube-corner retroreflectors. Pulsed laser beams transmitted from Earth hit the reflectors and bounce back to ground stations. The travel times are precisely measured, allowing highly accurate measurements of geophysical properties.

At its altitude of 5858 kilometers (3640 miles), the satellite will orbit for thousands of years, which led designers to include a "time capsule" plaque featuring maps of the Earth from 3 different eras: 268 million years in the past, the 1970s, and 8 million years in the future.

This artifact is a 1/2 scale model, donated by R. L. Bullock to the Museum in 1978.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type MODELS-Uncrewed Spacecraft & Parts Manufacturer Bendix Corp.
 Dimensions Model: 27.9 x 30.5cm (11 x 12 in.)
Storage: 33 x 33 x 38.1cm (13 x 13 x 15 in.)
 Materials Aluminum
Glass
Plastic
Copper Alloy
Steel
 Inventory Number A19781633000 Credit Line Gift of R.L. Bullock Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.