Beyond the ionosphere : fifty years of satellite communication

364 Pages·1997·16.3 MB·English

by  United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. History Office

Beyond
THE Ionosphere
Fifty Years of Satellite Communication
Edited by
Andrew Butrica
J.
—
Beyond the
Ionosphere
Fifty Years of Satellite
Communication
October1995markedthefiftiethanniversaryofArthurC.
Clarke'sfamousarticlein Wireless Worldproposingtheuse
ofsatellitesplacedingeosynchronousorbit forworldwide
communicationsrelay.Thearticleprovedprophetic, forit
heralded the modern era of telecommunications.
Beginning in the early 1960s, several series of satellites
were launched into Earth's orbit; collectively they trans-
formed the latter twentieth century, creating a global
village ofinstantaneouscommunications.
Previously, the ionospherehaddefinedthelimits ofradio
communication; today, by going beyond the ionosphere,
broadbandtelecommunicationhasenteredanewage.This
book describes the first attempts to go beyond the ionos-
phere, including both the earliest uses of the Moon as a
passive, natural relay satellite and Project Echo, the mas-
sive inflated satellite off which Earth stations bounced
radiosignals, aswellascontemporarycommunicationsvia
active-repeaterartificialmoonsinorbitabouttheEarth. It
analyzes both American and foreign satellite communica-
tions, the histories of several satellite communications
companies,therolesofgovernmentagencies,andthecon-
tributionofresearchlaboratories.
Thebookisacollectionofpapersoriginallypresenteddur-
ingan internationalsymposium held inWashington, D.C.,
atthetimeofthefiftiethanniversaryofClarke's 1945arti-
cle.Contributionsfromhistoriansandotherscholarsfrom
throughouttheworldpresentastimulatinganalysisofone
ofthemostimportantglobaltechnologiesatworktoday
andhowitoriginatedandevolved.
Andrew Butricahas edited a comprehensive and illumi-
J.
natingcollectionofarticlesonthisimportantsubject. Itis
vital readingforanyoneseekingtoimderstand the history
ofglobaltelecommunicationsinthetwentiethcentury.
Andrew Butricareceived his Ph.D. in the historyofscir
ence anJd. technology at Iowa State University. He is a
research historian in Franklin Park, NewJersey, specializ-
ing in the history of science. In 1990 Praeger Publishers
issued his Out of Thin Air: A History ofAir Products and
Chemicals, Inc., 1940-1990; in 1996 his book To See the
Unseen: A History ofPlanetary Radar Astronomy was pub-
UshedintheNASAHistorySeries.
AbouttheCover: "EndeavourandIntelsat,"acrylicbyJimAlford.A
nine-daymission (7-16May1992) accomplishedthecapturecfthe
Intelsat ^7satellite and thesubsequent matingofthesatellite to a
boosteranditseirentualredeployment. In thispainting, thefloating
architectural components symbolize the union ofthe Space Shuttle
Endeavour with thecommunicationssatelliteIntelsat. Courtesy of
theNASAArtProgmm,no. 92-HC716.
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BEYOND THE IONOSPHERE:
Fifty Years ofSatellite Communication

NASASP-4217
BEYOND THE IONOSPHERE:
Fifty Years ofSatellite Communication
Andrew Butrica, Editor
J.
The NASA History Series
National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration
um^T4M NASA History Office
Washington, D.C. 20546 1997
LibraryofCongress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Beyond the Ionosphere: FiftyYears ofSatellite Communication/AndrewJ. Butrica,
editor.
p. cm.—(NASAhistorical series) (NASASP: 4217)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 289) and index.
1. Artificial satellites in telecommunication. I. Butrica, AndrewJ. II. Series. III. Series:
NASASP; 4217.
TK5I04.B48 1997
62I.382'38—dc21 97-10856
CIP
ForsalebytheU.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice
SuperintendentofDocuments,MailStop:SSOP,Washington,DC 20402-9328
ISBN 0-16-049054-5
To thepioneeringdreamers and doers ofsatellite communications:
Arthur C. Clarke, who envisioned thegeosynchronous orbitand aglobal
satellite television network;John Robinson Pierce,for transformingthe visions of
his sciencefiction into a sciencefact, Echo; Col.John H. DeWitt,Jr., and
Zoltdn Bay,forachievingthefirstsuccessfulspace communications links;
andJamesH. Trexler, who turned theMoon into humanity'sfirst
communications satellite.