NGA honored historical marker of satellite tracking facility in Great Falls, Virginia
By Loren Blinde
June 27, 2017
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources dedicated a historical marker on June 24 at 10 am, honoring the work of the U.S. Army Map Service at The Turner Farm in Great Falls, Virginia.
The historical marker dedication recognizes The Turner Farm as a former Nike missile site and satellite tracking facility of the U.S. Army Map Service, a predecessor of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NGA announced June 22.
The marker states, “This tracking system contributed fundamentally to the Global Positioning System (GPS). The data gathered here enabled geospatial scientists to establish precise geographical reference points on the Earth’s surface and to refine their estimates of the Earth’s true shape and variations in its gravity field.”
Speakers included Tim Hackman, Dranesville District Park Authority Board Representative; State Senator Barbara Favola, 31st District; Lee Ann Henning, Science Director, Thomas Jefferson High School; and Clyde Smith, Chairman, Virginia Department of Historic Resources Board.
Former NGA employee Jack Fahey also provided remarks at the ceremony. Fahey spent 47 years working with NGA, starting in the 1960’s with the Army Map Service. He spent time representing the U.S. government in more than 40 countries and helping to coordinate and implement geographic information systems across multiple government agencies.
Source: NGA
