Artifact Details

Title

NASA - Screenshot of a SETI MCSA computer display

Catalog Number

102657164

Type

Still Image

Description

This is a color image of a screen shot of a Multichannel Spectrum Analyzer (MCSA) display. The screen shows several dots and bar graphs along with several icons on the menu bar at the bottom of the screen. The date on the screen reads "Tues Jun 4 14:23:26 1985". On the center label on verso side of image has text stating "SETI Prototype Equipment Detects Pioneer 10 signal. The Pioneer 10 spacecraft, radiating a signal with a power of about 1 Watt at a distance of 5.3 billion km (3.3 billion miles), produced the above trace on the SETI MCSA display. Each line of dots represents the power in 200 frequency channels, each 1/2 Hertz wide, during a two-second observation. The size of the dot represents the power. The Earth's rotation causes the apparent frequency of the signal to change with time. The detection of this signal with the antenna used was only possible because of the high sensitivity of the MCSA system. (AC85-0640)". Type on the smaller label at the bottom left corner on verso side of image is "Photo provided by NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035-1000.". Written in verso side of image in black pen at the bottom right is "AC85-0640".

Publisher

SETI Institute; NASA Ames Research Center; Stanford University

Dimensions

8 x 10 in.

Format

Photographic print

Category

Identification photograph; Publicity photograph

Subject

SETI Institute; NASA Ames Research Center; Stanford University; Multichannel Spectrum Analyzer (MCSA)

Credit

Gift of the SETI Institute

Lot Number

X3180.2005