Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex - "Goldstone Has The Bird"

"Goldstone Has The Bird"

It is commonly believed that the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, was confirmed to be in orbit by the use of the phrase "Goldstone has the bird". However, Goldstone was not in operation at the time of Explorer I, and like many oft-repeated quotations it is incorrect. Others claim that the actual phrase was "Gold has it!", incorrectly identifying "Gold" as a temporary tracking station at Earthquake Valley in the Anza-Borrego desert. In fact, Gold Station was located at the Air Force Missile Test Center (AFMTC) in Florida and the temporary tracking station at Earthquake Valley was Red Station.