Today in Technology History
(To receive "Today in Technology History" by e-mail, click here. To read past issues click here.)
July 10
Our world shrank when the first true communications satellite was launched exactly 39 years ago.
History's first man-made satellite was, of course, the Soviet Sputnik in 1957. In 1960, the first passive communications satellite was launched, the Echo I, a gigantic aluminum balloon which could reflect radio signals back to Earth. However, a truly successful satellite would not just reflect signals, but would amplify them.
Telstar I was such a satellite. Launched at 4:30 a.m. on July 10, 1962, it was the world's first active communications satellite, capable of receiving and transmitting data. A small sphere weighing 171 pounds, it was powered by batteries that were recharged by solar panels.
The new satellite was immediately put to the test. Within just three hours of its launch, Telstar I was used to transmit a telephone call between the chairman of AT&T and Vice President Lyndon Johnson. (AT&T built the satellite and reimbursed NASA for the cost of launching it.)
Later the same day came a more important test: Telstar I was used to send live television signals from the U.S. to Europe. This was the first trans-Atlantic TV transmission. More than just a symbol of scientific achievement, Telstar I was actually useful.
Telstar I stopped working after less than a year in orbit, probably because radiation from nuclear tests in Earth's atmosphere damaged its sensitive transistors. Its successors, however, are hardier, and we have come to rely on a vast fleet of such satellites for the instant, global communications we desire.
Related links:
Click here to read the Encyclopedia Britannica entry for the Telstar satellites.
Click here to read about the politics and policy behind the launch of Telstar.
| Biotechnology | Convergence | Creativity | Culture | E-conomics | Education |
| Equity | Gov't & Politics | Innovation | National Security | Personal Security |
For errors, broken links, questions or comments,
contact webmaster@tecsoc.org.
