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| The Kettering Group | Tyneside, UK 2021 Jan 31 Sunday, Day 31
Maintained by: Robert Christy Zarya Home Kettering Group Home Kettering Group Equipment in Detail: The Tracking Station Radio Receivers Radio Aerials Additional Radio Equipment Timing Calculating and Computing Recording Archives Miscellanea Racal RA-217 Brochure Elsewhere on the Web: British Pathé News Film Contemporary 1966 film of the tracking equipment | Calculators and Computers This is an area that advanced with developments in the rest of the world. Initially, calculations relied on a combination of tables of logarithms, slide rules and hand drawn graphs. With time it evolved through mechanical and electronic calculators to micro and then personal computers.
Item | Purpose | Note | Currently Residing
Globe with Orbit | Analogue computer | Small Earth globe on stand with added circular orbit - adjustable for inclination Originally the property of Isabel Perry | Geoff Perry Collection, passed to Science Museum, London in 2018.
Elliott 803 mainframe | Orbital computations from observations | Located CWS Corset Factory, Desborough, Northamptonshire Used by Geoff Perry with programming assistance from Ron Smith | Dismantled when became obsolete
Calculator - Mechanical | Calculations and predictions from observations | David Muggleton identifies it as a Lagomarsino-Numeria of Italian manufacture. It looks like a Lagomarsino-Numeria model 5905. It has a moveable carriage with hand-cranked internal rotors - Geoff was about the only person who could use it to calculate square roots! Can be seen in the (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph) photograph on the Wonderstuff album cover - on the bench in front of Graham Coleman. | Unknown, formerly School property
Elliott 4120 mainframe | Orbital computation from observations | Located at the Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association (SATRA) at Kettering Used by Geoff Perry assisted by Ron Smith | Dismantled when became obsolete
ICL 1900 mainframe | Orbital computations from observations | Located at County Offices, Northampton Used by Geoff Perry from terminal at Kettering Technical College, St Mary's Road | Dismantled when became obsolete
Orrery - Earth Orbit | Display of sub-satellite point | Driven by electric motors - capable of operation in real time Built by retired engineer Frank Lewin of Kettering | Geoff Perry Collection, passed to Science Museum, London in 2018.
Orrery - Solar System | Demonstrate Venus and Mars launch windows | Shows planetary motion to scale, Earth and either Mars or Venus lights up when a launch window is open Operated by hand Built by retired engineer Frank Lewin of Kettering | Geoff Perry Collection, passed to Science Museum, London in 2018.
Calculator - Electronic | Satellite calculations | 30 step programmable - effectively a pre-computer, very expensive to buy at the time Presented to Geoff Perry by Walter Annenburg, US Ambassador to the UK | Geoff Perry Collection, passed to Science Museum, London in 2018.
Commodore 4032 | Orbit and general satellite computing | First micro-computer used by the Tracking Group, programmed in BASIC by Geoff | Geoff Perry Collection, passed to Science Museum, London in 2018.
Other Computing Equipment | Orbital analysis, predictions, observation analysis | Further micro-computers were introduced as they became available with Geoff Perry favouring Commodore as a brand/type There is no definitive list of what individual items were used or how their use evolved though Geoff is known to have written a number of analysis programs in BASIC | Geoff Perry Collection, passed to Science Museum, London in 2018.

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