Editing United States Naval Observatory (section)

==Departments==
In 1990 two departments were established: [[Celestial mechanics|Orbital Mechanics]] and Astronomical Applications, with the [[Nautical Almanac]] Office a division in Astronomical Applications.<ref name="sky_and_ocean"/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Seidelmann |first=P.K. |year=1997 |title=Nautical Almanac Office 1975–1996 |journal=American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts |volume=191 |pages=01.05 |bibcode=1997AAS...191.0105S |url=http://aas.org/archives/BAAS/v29n5/aas191/abs/S001005.html |access-date=2011-07-27 |archive-date=2013-03-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309020850/http://aas.org/archives/BAAS/v29n5/aas191/abs/S001005.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Celestial mechanics|Orbital Mechanics]] Department operated under [[P. Kenneth Seidelmann]] until 1994, when the department was abolished and its functions transferred to a group within the Astronomical Applications Department.<ref name="sky_and_ocean">{{cite book |title=Sky and Ocean Joined: The U.S. Naval Observatory, 1830–2000 |first=Steven J. |last=Dick |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-521-81599-4 |pages=547–548, 574}}</ref>

In 2010, USNO's astronomical 'department' known as the [[United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station|Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS)]] was officially made autonomous as an Echelon&nbsp;5 command, separate from, but still reporting to the USNO in Washington. In the alpine woodlands above 7,000&nbsp;feet altitude outside [[Flagstaff, Arizona]], [[United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station|NOFS]] performs its national, Celestial Reference Frame (CRF) mission under dark skies in that region.

===Official residence of the vice president of the United States===
[[Image:1OC2003.jpg|thumb|right|[[Number One Observatory Circle]], official home of the [[Vice President of the United States|U.S. vice president]].]]
{{Main|Number One Observatory Circle}}
A house situated on the grounds of the observatory, at Number One Observatory Circle, has been the official residence of the [[Vice President of the United States|vice president of the United States]] since 1974. It is protected by tight security control enforced by the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]]. The house is separated from the Naval Observatory.

Before serving as the vice president's residence, it was that of the observatory's superintendent, and later the [[Chief of Naval Operations|chief of naval operations]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Vice-President's residence and office |publisher=U.S. [[National Archives]] |website=archives.gov |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/about/vp-residence |access-date=2013-02-27 |archive-date=2023-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028015859/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/vp-residence |url-status=live }}</ref>