Mariner IV Preparations

Here are photos taken during and after Tidbinbilla’s first official track of Mariner IV, as it was en route to Mars.*

A tense moment during Tidbinbilla’s first official track of Mariner IV, January 1965.

The servo window out to the antenna is behind the cameraman.

From Left to right: (or roll your mouse over the image to see the names pop up.)

Les Whaley – Analog console – left edge of photo, wearing glasses
Bob Cudmore – Instrumentation Section Leader – hand on chin
Jack Rothwell – Antenna Engineer – seated, holding sheet of paper
Peter Papps – Magnetic recording – seated in background
John Heath – Microwave Engineer – standing
Bob Leslie – Station Director – seated at Ops Console
Neil McVicar – Receiver Technician – standing
Paddy Johnstone – Ops Controller – seated at Ops Console
Dave Watts – Antenna Technician – seated in foreground
Mel Glenn – JPL Rep – seated at Console.

Larger, Largest. With thanks to John Heath for the photo and description.

Note the Closed Circuit TV Camera, near Peter Papps.

Bruce Window remembers:

“I recall that Bob Leslie got a CCTV installed so that the journalists (who were corralled in the Briefing Room to watch the Occultation) could see what was going on during the Mars flyby of Mariner IV.

Later, after the pass was concluded, the journalists and photographers were allowed into the OPS Room and were able to interview us. That is when my photo was taken at the Receiver, and my bio was obtained for publication the next day (Friday July 16th 1965) by the Sydney Morning Herald along with Bob all the other staff.”

This view is from the far end of the Ops Room.

The servo window is in the distance at right, the Receivers are just to the right of that.

The Recorders are just out of frame to the left .and Roger Fredericks is in the right foreground, checking documentation.

Photo preserved by Jacqui Galbraith. Scan and image processing by Colin Mackellar.

Station Director Bob Leslie addresses the team after their first operational track of Mariner 4. Around March 1965.

This and the photos below of the briefing were probably taken by Station Photographer Henry Holthouse.

Large, Larger. Photo preserved by Mike Dinn, scan Colin Mackellar.

Here’s a key to the above photo.

This photo was taken at the same meeting – in this one Brian Harris (with pipe) is visible third from left, and Geoff Rose is standing at far right.

Large, Larger. Photo preserved and scanned by Keith Brockelsby.

And yet another view – this scan courtesy of Glen Nagle at CDSCC.

Large, Larger.

Another angle on the same meeting.

Large, Larger. Photo preserved and scanned by Bruce Window.

Here’s a key to the above photo.

And one more.

Photo preserved by Jacqui Galbraith. Scanned by Colin Mackellar.

DSS-42 Operations during the first track of Mariner IV, January 1965. Taken same time as photos above.

Tony Saville is second from right in this photo taken during Tidbinbilla’s first track of Mariner 4 as it approached Mars in March 1965.

Jack Rothwell, standing at left. Bob Leslie and Paddy Johnstone seated, Tony Saville and Bob Cudmore at right.

In the distance, Les Whaley is visible above Bob Leslie. He is speaking with Keith Aldworth. John Weatherly is standing, profile, in the background.

With thanks to Keith Aldworth for his help with the names.
Photo from Clive Jones via John Heath. Scan: Colin Mackellar.

* The photos on this page and many others were taken by Henry Hulstede, Tidbinbilla’s resident photographer.

Henry is seen in this photo published in The Good Neighbour newspaper, August 1969.

(The Good Neighbour was published by the Australian Department of Immigration to showcase the contribution of migrants to Australia. The August 1969 issue featured members of the space tracking community.)

This copy with thanks to Tony Gerada. Scan by Colin Mackellar.