© 2021 Atlas Obscura. Following the launch of Corona satellites in the 1960s, the National Reconnaissance Program (formerly known as the National Foreign Intelligence Program) determined that there was a need for calibration under the Controlled Range Network. - "Decades-Old Mystery Put To Rest: Why Are There X's In The Desert? The second one is located on the northeast corner of West Cornman Road and Carmel Blvd. 144 satellites were used to capture photos A Grid of Spy Satellite Calibration Targets Hidden in Plain Sight - Campfire Stories The markers formed a square 16x16-mile grid, maintained from 1959 to 1972. There remains many of these markers in the Arizona desert around Casa Grande. To disguise its true purpose, it was given the cover name Discoverer and described as a scientific research program. An abandoned facility that has become a place of ritualistic satanic worship, or so rumor has it. OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license. Name: Corona Satellite Calibration Targets Constructed: 1967 Location: South of Casa Grande, Arizona Coordinates: 32.806996° N, -111.722192° W Manifestation Method: Concrete Macros: line, perpendicular, circle [want to zoom in to see the individual crosses? In the Sonoran Desert south of Phoenix, Arizona, there is an array of giant concrete targets whose purpose was secret until about a decade ago. Winner will be selected at random on 02/01/2021. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. When the Corona project ended in 1972, a number of the crosses were demolished, but a few still remain scattered throughout the desert. We explore this situation by visualizing the expanding pervasiveness of satellite technology in relation to an historically significant set of satellite calibration targets. Corona Satellite Calibration Targets. 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Land lessees were then given the option of having the targets removed and dumped near Eloy, Arizona. Location: South of Casa Grande, Arizona. A series of concrete crosses are scattered across the scrub and brush – and their true purpose was hidden until recently. There remains many of these markers in the Arizona desert around Casa Grande. Between 1959 and 1972 the USAF/ CIA ran a spy satellite program called 'Corona'. Sitting right out in the open despite their clandestine origins, the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets that dot the Arizona desert are not hidden, but their true purpose was not revealed for years after their installation. Oct 2, 2019 - Discover Corona Satellite Calibration Targets in Casa Grande, Arizona: Concrete crosses scattered across the Arizona scrubland which were used to align spy satellites. Hosting is supported by UCL, Bytemark Hosting, and other partners. Casa Grande-Corona Satellite Calibration Target- Cornman-Carmel-1.jpg 3,264 × 2,448; 2.08 MB This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets article. corona satellite calibration targets 32. dose calibration 33. double-bounce calibration 34. double bounce calibration 35. engine calibration unit 36. equipment calibration 37. hand eye calibration problem 38. icl calibration laboratories inc 39. lincoln calibration sphere 1 40. measurement microphone calibration Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks, in its broadest sense, investigates an individual’s position on earth in the contemporary context of vast networks of information. The markers formed a square 16x16-mile grid, maintained from 1959 to 1972. In all, 144 satellites were sent into orbit during the top-secret Cold War project. From 1960 to 1972, more than 100 Corona missions took over 800,000 photographs. These crosses form a 16 mile by 16 mile grid with one cross at each one mile grid point. Calibration targets come in all shapes and sizes — X’s and tri-bars are not the only types. A stone pillar marking the location of the westernmost battle of the American Civil War only honors one side of the conflict. Given the technology of the time, the cameras needed a system of fixed points on which to focus their lenses, and thus the Corona Calibration Targets were built in the desolate Arizona desert. The first one is located on the southeast corner of South Montgomery and West Cornman Roads. I'm studying geography. Cross at the intersection of Cornman Road and Carmel Blvd. Proto-CIA agents trained with grenades in the sand traps and fired machine guns from the fairways. The Corona Satellite Calibration Targets are 272 concrete markers in and around Casa Grande, Arizona that helped to calibrate camera photos on the Corona spy satellite program. Working with the Arizona Real Estate Office, the Army Map Service was directed to lease land for office space in Casa Grande, Arizona. Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks, in its broadest sense, investigates an individual’s position on earth in the contemporary context of vast networks of information. These satellites used ground markers to calibrate their cameras. Google Maps. 1968: Cameras capable of color and infrared photography provide 3D images; Army Corp of Engineers builds array of calibration targets outside Casa Grande. Approached, the Corona spy satellite was dubbed Corona by the CIA this is the talk page discussing... Top-Secret Army satellite calibration targets in Arizona has it the crosses were built in the Arctic and in.. Charts, she ticked off various Landmarks, from peaks to canals or aqueducts hidden until recently purchased land. Between 1960 and 1972 how the photographs were delivered back to earth KH-4. 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