Muchea Tracking Station
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Muchea Tracking Station (near Perth, Western Australia)
Established in 1960, Muchea was built specifically for NASA's Project Mercury. It was Station No. 8 of 14 sites around the world used throughout the project. The only other Australian site was No. 9, the Island Lagoon Tracking Station at Woomera, South Australia.
Muchea used VERLORT (Very Long Range Tracking) equipment, capable of tracking objects up to 4000km away. Muchea was the only station outside of the US able to send commands to the spacecraft, all others were only able to retrieve data.
Muchea Communications Technician Gerry O’Connor became the first Australian to speak with a space traveller on 20th February 1962, when he called John Glenn aboard Friendship 7 on its pass over the West Australian coast. A small plaque installed in the place occupied by the Communications Technician's console reads: 'This plaque is to mark the spot where an Australian first spoke to a space traveller'.
Muchea was closed in 1963, soon after the end of the Mercury Project. It was replaced by the Carnarvon Tracking Station for the Gemini and Apollo Projects. Although the Muchea Tracking Station is now long gone, the Shire of Chittering has erected a small display about the local history.
