It's a beachside relic with deep ties to America's space program, and it has been a Melbourne Beach man's mission to save it from the scrap heap before it's too late.
But Bob Nolan, a preservationist, is running out of time to save the 1,000-pound pile of metal and bolts next to the Melbourne Beach Old Town Hall and History Center.
"I said, 'They're going to destroy that dome, and the telescope that's been taking pictures of all the shuttles,'" Nolan said.
That's what Nolan thought eight years ago as he looked across the street from his golf game at Spessard Holland Golf Course. The tracking station that had documented decades of shuttle and rocket launches back to the days of Mercury was being taken down.
Nolan asked a lot of questions and said he didn't get any clear answers as to the fate of the structure known as "Radome" or "Radar-dome" — the top part of the tracking station which housed a telescope.
Nolan eventually requested ownership of the landmark. He has since been trying to find it a permanent home.
For some time, the metal and bolts sat assembled behind a nearby fire station. It was eventually shipped to Titusville, but it now sits yards away from where NASA operated it for decades.
Late last year, Melbourne Beach officials gave Nolan a Jan. 31 deadline to remove it. If he doesn't, the pile could end up in the scrapyard.
Nolan said there is a possible location to move the tracking station parts, but he's not able to talk about it just yet.
"We hope that it bears fruit and it's on display for generations to come," Nolan said.
Only time will tell if officials enforce the deadline.
The telescope that operated in the dome is currently on display at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space and Missile Museum.