Abandoned Ionospheric Research Station
|
|
"QUANTUM SHOT" #292link
Rusting Giant Antennas in the Middle of Ukrainian Forest
Continuing the theme of our "Creepy High Voltage Installations" article, this research station (though not completely abandoned) is just as big, full of rust and bizarre "post-apocalyptic" atmosphere.
During the 80s this place had the functioning antenna complex the size of a soccer field, plus the "Ural" super-computer presiding over it all... The Ionospheric Research Station is located near Zmiev, close to Kharkov and is still used from time to time by (no doubt desperate) scientists - the area was declassified recently (it used to be a top secret installation, hm... I wonder why). This marvel of Soviet technology seems to be no match for HAARP Research Station in Alaska, but looks can be deceiving - and in the meantime it serves as a good "stomping ground" for all sorts of explorers of creepy and abandoned places.
The High Frequency Transmitter and Antenna Array
The biggest antenna is capable of producing 25 MW impulse power (compare it to the HAARP station's 12.5 MW) and is 25 meters in diameter. The IS (incoherent scatter) radar is quite unique (there are only 9 in the world) and covers 100 meter x 100 meter area.
The trees and bushes are slowly reclaiming the territory:
Various gorgeous scientific equipment seems to be well-preserved since the Cold War days:
Ring... Ring...
"Comrade Petrov?... Point the main transmitter to these coordinates and incinerate the war-mongering imperialist spy satellite out of the sky!"
Next James Bond adventure should definitely feature a villain climbing one of these babies:
The steel lattice-work is quite impressive:
Images are courtesy Neal, from KharkovForum and Fata-Morgana from Sun-Skadi site.
The similar, but better-maintained facility is located in Irkutsk. Here is a link to an informative (but very slow) English-language site.
Something else is lurking inside the Russian forest, the remains of an open-air cinema (!), for example:
or these bizarre structures that we can't identify yet:
(the location of these may not be necessarily Russia, so we'd like to hear what they really are)
UPDATE: This is an old granite quarry near Krakow, Poland. See more atSilent Wall and here. Plus a Google map location (thanks Marcin Derecki).
Marcin writes:
"It's called "Liban's Quarry". The place was open till late 60's. Now it's closed.
At the time of Second World War near this place was a concenration camp. In 1992 Steven Spielberg was making the movie "Schindler's List" in this quarry. I live about 1 km from that place."
Permanent Link...
Category: Technology,Science
Related Posts:
Abandoned Tunnels & Vast Underground Spaces
Creepy High-Voltage Installations
Dark Roasted Blend's Photography Gear Picks:
Your Comments:
|
|
9
comments
|
READ LATEST POSTS:
|
May 16, 2008 - Quantum Shot #421 Extraordinary Art from Metal Made from "found" and military scrap objects |
|
May 14, 2008 - Biscotti Bits Mixed Links & Images incl. "A Giant Snail" |
COMMENTS:
|
SF ART & BOOK REVIEWS: Fiction Reviews: William Gibson Stories Novella Review: Charles Stross "Missile Gap" Rare Pulp Fiction: Apocalyptic Blockbusters |
MORE RECENT POSTS:
|
Anteater Coolness Life with two anteaters in the house |
|
Weird Inventions by Guys, Part 7 Special Summer Selection! |
|
World's Smallest Cars, Part 2 Great things come in small packages |
|
Soviet Futuristic Illustration: Oodles of Optimism Black-and-white rare series of images |
|
Funny Animals, Part 11 Natural hilarity reaches a new high |
|
Nightmare Playgrounds, Part 2 Manic-Depressive Creativity |
|
Shipwrecks & Sea Disasters The Beauty & the mystery of the wrecked ships |
|
Unforgettable Faces, Part 3 Cast your vote for the most entertaining expression |
|
The Tasty Art of Chocolate & Candy Never eat an Easter Chocolate Bunny Again |
|
The "Falling Towers" of New Chinese TV Center Radical architecture for outdated propaganda machine |
|
Out-of-This-World Fishing Big Fish Extravaganza, Part 2 |
|
Senseless Signage, Part 10 Don't try to figure these signs out. Get a GPS instead. |
|
Are You... You? The Wonderful World of Parasites |
|
Commercialized Clouds Lucy in the Sky with Logotypes |
|
You Know You Want This... Steampunk Gear Masterpieces plus interview with "Aaron Adding Machines" |
|
Smile! You're in Politics (Funny Pics) Politicians in paroxysms of thought and deliberation |
|
World's Strangest Vehicles, Part 4 Sheer Auto Adrenaline! |
|
Extreme Exploration: Russian Nuclear Research Facilities Deep under the mountain, or in the world's deepest lake |
|
Miniature Spy Guns, Part 2 Do not move while I destroy you, Mr Bond |
|
Never Give Up! (Funny Pics) Crazy Logistics, Issue 8 |
|
Most Beautiful Fractals Infinite possibilities for art |
|
Cool Ads, Issue 10 Visually arresting and deliciously weird |
|
Japanese Creative Barcodes Cut out your UPC label and... frame it! |
|
The Geekiest LEGOs & Rubik's Cubes The world of twisted dimensions |
|
Disturbing Wiring, Part 4 More Tangled Awesomeness |
|
Russian Nuclear Icebreakers: To the North Pole! Odyssey in the Arctic with Russian Icebreaker Fleet |
|
The Deadliest Creatures (Most Easy to Miss) The Real Terror Lurks in Quiet Darkness |
|
Strangest Christian Products & Signs Repent! the end of good taste is in sight! |
|
Lovely Ladies of Yesteryear, Part 2 Vintage eye-candy, guaranteed (very mildly nsfw) |
|
Fear & Loathing inside Abandoned Stalin's Mines Fire & Ice Underground |
|
Armenia: The Epic Land This kind of nature needs an IMAX |
|
Time Machine: World's Biggest Collider Have a loophole in time, will travel |
|
Airplane Oops! Situations Part 2 Aviation Safety for Dummies |
MORE OF THE RECENT POSTS:
FULL ARCHIVES (with previews, fast loading):
April 2008 -- March 2008
February 2008 -- January 2008 -- December 2007 -- November 2007
October 2007 -- September, 2007 -- August 2007 -- July 2007
June 2007 -- May 2007 -- April 2007 -- March 2007 -- February 2007
January 2007 -- December 2006 -- November 2006 -- October 2006
Link Latte archives
CATEGORIES:
airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | books | cool ads | funny pics |
futurism | food | gadgets | health | history | humour | internet | link latte | military |
music | nature | photo | science | science fiction & fantasy | signs | space | sports |
technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird
9 Comments:
the structures in the last photo look like observation towers, either for a prison or a factory. maybe they have been left to decay at the factory where they were made?
The towers at the last photo are looking like mobile observation towers. They could be used to watch for forrest fires.
More likely to be cement or lime kilns, that looks like a chalk pit face behind. They are charged from the top with chalk and coal, the cement or lime is drawn off the bottom. The slope in the foreground could be for trucks to tip chalk into crushers.
The 'forest cinema' photo is of an abandoned outdoor theater, part of Moscow's All-Russia Exhibition Centre - see map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=moscow&t=k&hl=en&ie=UTF8&om=0&ll=55.831306,37.617322&spn=0.002118,0.004699&z=18&iwloc=addr
The rusty towers in the last picture are from Krakow, Poland. It's an old granite quarry: http://www.silentwall.com/QuarryI.html
Thank you guys! I updated the post with new info.
Did anyone else notice that in the control panel picture, there are a couple of lighted buttons still on? That building cannot have been powered? right?
Not only is the instrument panel powered on, the oscilloscope on top of it is also powered on, and there is a faint line to be seen on its screen, so it's actually measuring something as well. It seems this equipment is still in use.
the country isnt as wealthy as the us(but they also aren't in debt as much either)
so they are probably using it as an antenna to this day, other wise the complex would probably have been tore down and recycled for the metal
Post a Comment
<< Home