July 12, 1962: The Day Information Went Global

Hey, how many of you out there remember when TelStar went up? All of a sudden we were using space faring satellites for communication not across the state but AROUND THE WORLD!!! Plus if you were lucky you could see it in the early evening hours climbing brilliantly into the heavens! This miricle of space age technology took place July 12, 1962. From the article:

• launched by NASA on July 10, 1962, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and was the first privately sponsored space-faring mission. Two days later, it relayed the world's first transatlantic television signal, from Andover Earth Station, Maine.

Of course living in Maine gave it special meaning.  (Matter of fact, the last time I went up there in the early 90s, a great deal of the facility was still there.  Along with some of the (ahem "lesser known") other buildings associated with the Earth Station. 

Telstar was the first satellite to carry a commercial payload to demonstrate the 

demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting information by satellite.  

Many people even today thought Telstar was operational for several years when in fact it was only operational for  a few months.  During that period it relayed television signals of a brief duration as well as pictures and audio.

Read the complete NASA article here

Telstar 1 Aniversary! 45th!

Today is the 45th anniversary of Telstar I, America's first active telecommunications satellite.
Launched in 1962, Telstar 1 wast the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications. It was roughly spherical, was 34.5 inches (880 mm) long, and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg). Its dimensions were limited by what would fit in one of NASA's Delta rockets. Telstar was spin-stabilized, so its outer surface was covered by solar cells in order to always receive some power. The power produced was a relatively tiny 14W. Telstar was equipped with a helical antenna which received microwave signals from a ground station, then amplified and rebroadcast the signal. The broadcasts were made from a series of somewhat directional feed horns distributed around the satellite's "equator". The electronics switched which antenna was active as the satellite rotated. Telstar was placed in an elliptical orbit (completed once every 2 hours and 37 minutes), revolving at a 45 degree angle above the equator. Because of this, its transmission availability for transatlantic signals was only 20 minutes in each orbit. Telstar relayed its first television pictures (of a flag outside its ground station in Andover) on the date of its launch. Almost two weeks later, on July 23, it relayed the first live transatlantic television signal.

Telstar I is still orbiting the Earth even though it permanently broke down seven months after launch.

Thanks Shaun for the math udate...duhhhh!