A Beacon for Baltimore

Abstract

High on the mainmast of the clipper Pride of Baltimore, crew members have installed a NASA-developed satellite beacon which enables continual tracking of the ship as she roams the seas on goodwill tours. The simple 10-pound beacon affixed to Pride's mainmast allows Baltimore's Operational Sail to keep track of the ship on its voyages to distant places. Once every minute, the compact, battery powered unit sends a radio signal to NASA's Nimbus-6 research satellite where the frequency shift of successive signals provides information for computing the ship's latitude and longitude.