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The Omega Navigation System, used for long range navigation by military ships and aircraft, was the first truly global-range radio navigation system. Operated by the United States in cooperation with six partner nations (Argentina, Norway, Liberia, France, Japan, and Australia), it enabled ships and aircraft to determine their position by receiving very low frequency (VLF) radio signals in the range 10 to 14 kHz, transmitted by a network of fixed terrestrial radio beacons. Omega was approved for development in 1968, and by 1971 six of the eight stations in the chain had become operational, with the final stations becoming operational several years later. Coast Guard personnel operated the two U.S. stations: one in LaMoure, North Dakota and the other in Kaneohe, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. However, with the success of the Global Positioning System, the use of Omega declined during the 1990s, to a point where the cost of operating Omega could no longer be justified. Omega was shut down permanently in September of 1997.

 Identifier

NASM.2017.0038

Creator

Springel, Martin

Date

bulk 1951-1977

Provenance

Steven Springel and Sharon Springel, Gift, 2017

Extent

3 Cubic feet ((5 boxes))

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 3 cubic feet of the following material gathered by Martin Springel (Kaneohe Station Manager) relating to the Omega Navigational System: correspondence, notes, memorandums, manuals, trip reports, operation procedures, training materials, and seven slide carousels containing color slides from the various Omega Navigation System stations.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Citation

Omega Navigational System Collection, Accession 2017-0038, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Omega Navigational System

Navigation

Radio Navigation Systems

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Color slides

Correspondence

Manuals

Reports