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| WSR-57 | |
|---|---|
| Name | WSR-57 |
| Type | Radar |
| Introduced | 1957 |
| Manufacturer | Radio Corporation of America |
| Country | United States |
WSR-57 The WSR-57 was a postwar weather surveillance radar developed for national convective and synoptic-scale observation. Designed during the Cold War era and deployed across the United States, the system influenced operational meteorology, civil defense, and aviation meteorology through mid-20th century modernization programs. It bridged technologies used by military installations, federal agencies, and research institutions during an era marked by rapid expansion of atmospheric sciences.
The WSR-57 program originated from collaborations among the Radio Corporation of America, United States Weather Bureau, and the United States Air Force following initiatives inspired by projects linked to Project Nike, Project Stormfury, and research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Design work drew on radar concepts demonstrated during World War II by groups at MIT Radiation Laboratory, practitioners from RAF Bomber Command, and engineers influenced by radar pioneers associated with United States Army Air Forces programs. Funding and organizational oversight involved the Department of Commerce and later coordination with agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Severe Storms Laboratory as civil weather services expanded after passage of legislation following the National Defense Education Act era. Early deployments were tested at sites including facilities near Dover Air Force Base, Offutt Air Force Base, and research stations connected to the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Weather Center.
The WSR-57 employed a high-power pulsed magnetron transmitter and a parabolic reflector antenna common to radar designs of the era influenced by engineers trained under the MIT Radiation Laboratory and linked to developments at Bell Laboratories. Antenna diameters typically matched installations used in contemporary radar systems at Camp Merrill and bases such as Eglin Air Force Base. The system operated in the S-band frequency range similar to radars evaluated by Lincoln Laboratory and used pulse repetition frequencies and pulse widths comparable to systems tested at Ames Research Center. Receiver sensitivity, signal processing, and display technologies were analogous to instrumentation in use at the Air Weather Service and laboratories associated with Texas A&M University. Mechanical azimuth drive components and pedestal bearings were supplied by firms with contracts from Raytheon and manufacturers with pedigrees linked to General Electric and Westinghouse Electric Company.
In operation, the WSR-57 provided reflectivity-only surveillance using single-polarization returns, a capability set similar to earlier units fielded during experiments by researchers at the University of Chicago and later contrasted with dual-polarization work at Colorado State University. Operators at centers such as the National Hurricane Center, Storm Prediction Center, and local stations in the Weather Bureau Office network relied on Plan Position Indicator displays developed alongside visualization practices at California Institute of Technology and display standards employed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The radar’s maximum unambiguous range, beamwidth, and clutter suppression routines were characteristic of S-band surveillance arrays described in technical reports produced by Naval Research Laboratory scientists and discussed in symposiums hosted by the American Meteorological Society. Limitations included inability to measure radial velocity and hydrometeor classification, which later prompted upgrades in programs affiliated with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and projects at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies.
WSR-57 units were installed at a wide network of sites across the continental United States, coordinated with regional offices of the United States Weather Bureau and later integrated into systems operated by the National Weather Service and state-run emergency management agencies such as the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Installations supported forecasting centers tied to aviation hubs like Chicago O'Hare International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and military fields including Tinker Air Force Base and Scott Air Force Base. The radars were used in conjunction with upper-air observations from stations at Wallops Flight Facility and synoptic analyses practiced at institutions including Pennsylvania State University. During severe-weather events tracked in the era of the WSR-57, coordination occurred with agencies such as the Civil Defense apparatus, research teams from the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and academic groups from University of Oklahoma storm-chasing projects.
The WSR-57 shaped operational meteorology through influence on warning practices, radar network planning, and training curricula at centers like the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center and educational programs at Florida State University and University of Oklahoma. Its limitations spurred development of replacement systems exemplified by programs that produced the NEXRAD radars championed by the Federal Aviation Administration and implemented by the National Weather Service. The long service life of the WSR-57 is documented in oral histories from personnel associated with the Air Weather Service and technical retrospectives involving researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research and industrial partners such as Raytheon. Museum and preservation efforts at sites linked to the Smithsonian Institution and local history groups have archived components and narratives related to operational lessons that informed modern dual-polarization, phased-array, and Doppler technologies assessed at facilities like NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory.
Category:Weather radars