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The Parkes telescope's 60th birthday was celebrated on Monday with the unveiling of a
plaque commemorating the telescope's National Heritage listing.
The event included the cutting of a 60th birthday cake, and featured several of the video contributions
received from current and former staff and users of the telescope, which are beinng made available from the
Parkes 60th webpage.
The plaque reads "The CSIRO Parkes radio telescope was added to the National Heritage List in August 2020
in recognition of its contributions to the history of Australian astronomy and its association
with the Apollo 11 Moon landing in July 1969. Since October 1961, it has been used by Australian and
international astronomers in the search for answers to some of the greatest scientific questions,
expanding our understanding of the Universe and our place within it. The telescope's innovative design
became the model for subsequent large, single-dish antennas and has played a significant role
in space tracking history. The Parkes telescope is also of outstanding value to the nation for
its high degree of technical achievement."
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