Very interesting, Ian! I've always been fascinated by these. Is this one located in Australia? Does it have a specific use, or is it just listening to outer space in general?

I know that the technology is cool, but I still think that they are eyesores. I would prefer the scenery without them.

At least there has been some landscaping around it, so I like to think of it as science fiction with a pretty cover. We have a windfarm several miles north of us, a finishing 'factory' of multi-thousand hogs a mile north, and land preparation for a 4-lane divided highway on the other (south) side More...

Kay, it is in central west NSW and it is now famous for its part in relaying information to NASA during man's first moon walk. There is a movie based on it called "The Dish" and it is relatively acurate, and yes it is still fully functional now

It was this radio telescope at Parkes, Western NSW Australia, that actually picked up Neil Armstrong's voice when he first walked on the moon! American was on the dark side of the moon & couldn't get any signal!
Great photo & Jigsaw, thanks Ian!

Sorry Joann - had read the comments when I made mine!

Thanks Ian! ... And you beat me! I watched 'The Dish' last week, now the kiddo wants to see the radio telscope at Parkes so it'll be a trip in the near future!

Thanks, Aussies! It would have been a terrible thing to miss that moon landing -- I remember it just as if it were yesterday!
Alas, poor Linda, a hog farm nearby -- that is a terrible stench!

Thanks for the info, Joann and Kate. I'm impressed! I remember that moon walk as clear as a bell too, Judy. I played hookie from work just to watch it. I actually took some Poloroid photos of the TV screen that came out amazingly well.

Gramma Linda, I know all about the smell of a hog farm, though thankfully I am not near one. I think that eastern NC must be some kind of capital of hog farms. There are huge ones, and they create no end of controversy over environmental issues. I love my bacon, but do not like the methods of dealing with hog waste that are currently being used!

It was the Honeysuckle Creek Tracking station, just outside of Canberra, that 'heard' the transmition from Neil Armstrong. Parkes was the back-up reciever and the rural ambiance rather than that of the national capital suited the movie so they used a little poetic licence

Could only be Parkes! Knew it straight away.

Thank you Ian, really enjoyed doing this one.