What are the golf balls at Menwith Hill?

In August last year, Harrogate Council approved an application for three additional 'radomes' at the base. These large structures, pictured here, are often nicknamed 'golf balls' because of their white, dimpled appearance. They are designed to shield and protect radar equipment, particularly from the elements.

What is inside Menwith Hill golf ball?

The site acts as a ground station for a number of satellites operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office, on behalf of the NSA, with antennae contained in numerous distinctive white radomes, locally referred to as "the golf balls", and is alleged to be an element of the ECHELON system.

What are the golf balls near Skipton?

ON the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and off the A59 Harrogate to Skipton road, the sight of RAF Menwith Hill's famous “golf balls” – distinctive white radomes which contain satellite antennae capable of intercepting two million conversations an hour – is about as close as most members of the public will get to what is ...

What are the golf ball buildings near Harrogate?

Menwith Hill is just a few miles from the Yorkshire town of Harrogate. It is hard to miss - huge, white golf-ball structures stick out of the earth, a strange sight in the midst of miles of beautiful countryside.

Are the golf balls still at Fylingdales?

RAF Fylingdales (The golf balls) 1963-1992

In 1992, after the Cold War had ended the giant 'golf balls' were demolished and replaced by a less exciting pyramid structure. Nowadays it is used to track and detect objects orbiting the Earth, such as satellites, space junk and potentially UFOs.

32 related questions found

Can you visit RAF Fylingdales?

All visits to the Station are by appointment only.

What are the big golf ball looking things?

They are radomes that house satellite dishes and other crucial space equipment. The purpose of the giant spheres is to protect the equipment from Colorado's always-changing weather.

Can you visit Menwith Hill?

MENWITH HILL TOURS. Located near idylic Nidderdale in the tranquil Yorkshire Dales, Menwith Hill has SO MUCH to offer. Whether you are a day-tripping family, a dissident, or simply an amateur espionage enthusiast, a visit to Menwith Hill spy base will delight and enthrall you.

Is Menwith Hill closing down?

RAF Menwith Hill will 'remain an integral part of joint UK and US security' and 'has an assured future,' according to its commanding officer, as a programme of demolition work is set to continue. Menwith Hill on the outskirts of Harrogate.

What is Fylingdales early warning Centre?

THE STATION

RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire provides a continuous ballistic missile early warning service to the UK and US Governments, ensuring a surprise missile attack cannot succeed. As a key element of the Space Surveillance Network, the Station is capable of tracking objects 3000 miles into space.

Who runs Menwith Hill?

Menwith Hill is one of the United States' most important overseas bases, playing an integral role in the broader strategy of US global power projection. Nominally an RAF base, it is operated and controlled by the National Security Agency.

What is Pine Gap in Australia?

Pine Gap is the commonly used name for a satellite surveillance base and Australian Earth station approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) south-west of the town of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in the centre of Australia.

What is the Echelon system?

ECHELON, originally a secret government code name, is a surveillance program (signals intelligence/SIGINT collection and analysis network) operated by the United States with the aid of four other signatory states to the UKUSA Security Agreement: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, also known as the ...

Where is Pine Gap Australia?

The Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is situated on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

What are the big white golf balls?

What are the giant golf balls in Aurora?

Those Giant Golf Balls Aren't Golf Balls

If you didn't know any better, upon first glance you might assume that it's one of Aurora's many golf courses. But, indeed, it's Air Force. Okay, they're not really golf balls. They are wind and weather shields that are used to protect the air force's satellite antennas.

What are the golf ball looking building?

Yucca, Arizona: Golf Ball House: Area 66. Area 66 is a former private residence shaped like a huge golf ball, originally built as the Dinosphere restaurant for a never-completed desert community. UFO Museum inside!

Is Bmews still operational?

The original Missile Impact Predictors were replaced (IOC on August 31, 1984), and BMEWS systems were entirely replaced by 2001 (e.g., radars were replaced with AN/FPS-120 SSPARS) after Satellite Early Warning Systems had been deployed (e.g., 1961 MIDAS, 1968 Project 949, and 1970 DSP satellites).

Is fylingdales a nuclear target?

North Yorkshire will become a high priority nuclear target if America upgrades RAF Fylingdales as a defence base, a senior US expert on defence has said.

When was RAF Fylingdales built?

RAF Fylingdales became operational in 1963.

Are there US military bases in the UK?

Where are the US bases in the UK? During the 1990s there were approximately 100 US bases in the UK. 13 remain today: RAF Lakenheath, RAF Croughton, RAF Digby, RAF Welford, RAF Fairford, RAF Feltwell, RAF Upwood, RAF Barford St John, RAF Fylingdales and RAF Menwith Hill.