26 September 2023

Heritage List brings dish to Earth

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The most famous Dish in the nation, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) Parkes Observatory, is set to be conserved and protected for future generations after being awarded National Heritage status.

Announced by the Minister for the Environment, Susan Ley and Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews the observatory’s 64-metre radio astronomy telescope, famous for the pictures it beamed from man’s first walk on the Moon, has become the 118th site to be added to the National Heritage List.

Ms Ley said the National Heritage listing recognised decades of work by Australian scientists, engineers and others involved with advancing Australia’s role in understanding the universe, as well as the Dish itself.

“The role of Parkes Observatory as a ground station (along with the NASA site at Honeysuckle Creek) in the 1969 Apollo 11 mission moon landing to a global audience of 530 million people, showcases a world of Australian science technology and engineering design,” Ms Ley said.

“Along the way it has also shone a unique light on the role of rural Australia and its contribution to scientific discovery,” she said.

Chief Executive of CSIRO, Larry Marshall said the Parkes radio telescope was an icon of Australian science and innovation.

“While the Parkes telescope may be old enough to qualify for the National Heritage List, it continues to observe the universe day and night, seven days a week, with the most advanced radio receiver systems in the world,” Dr Marshall said.

“The telescope still holds the record for detecting the most pulsars – rapidly spinning neutron stars,” he said.

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