NIST-7 Cesium Frequency Standard

In the 1990s, this instrument was the most accurate clock in the country and helped keep the GPS clocks synchronized. Built and operated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, it served as the primary frequency standard for the United States—that is, it determined the length of a second of time.

Caption:
In the 1990s, the NIST-7 was the most accurate clock in the country and helped keep the GPS clocks synchronized.
Type: Artifact
Image Date: January 18, 2013
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Origin: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Creator: Eric Long
NASM2013-00223

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In the 1990s, the NIST-7 was the most accurate clock in the country and helped keep the GPS clocks synchronized.

nasm2013-00224.jpg

In the 1990s, the NIST-7 was the most accurate clock in the country and helped keep the GPS clocks synchronized.