Satellites - National Air and Space Museum
A satellite is an object that is in orbit around an object in space of a larger size. Things such as the Earth's Moon or Pluto's Charon are natural satellites. Humans have also created artificial satellites—human-made machines and spacecraft in orbit …
What Can You Really See From Space?
Apr 8, 2011 · In reality, satellite imagery is used for "before" and "after" images. These can be used for research purposes and for responses to emergencies. Recently media outlets widely used imagery from the GeoEye-1 satellite to show tsunami devastation in Japan. Sometimes a satellite passes overhead at just the right time to capture a rapid change.
Communications Satellites | National Air and Space Museum
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower used SCORE—the first communication satellite—to broadcast a Christmas message: "Through this unique means I convey to you and all mankind, America's wish for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men everywhere." The SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbital Relay Equipment) satellite operated for 35 days.
Communications Satellite, Telstar - National Air and Space Museum
The United States chose government direction and created two new institutions, COMSAT and INTELSAT, to develop satellite communcations, an arrangement that lasted for more than two decades. This Telstar is a backup spacecraft to Telstar 1 and 2 (launched respectively in 1962 and 1963), transferred from the National Museum of American History to ...
Applications Satellites | National Air and Space Museum
In the tense years of the Cold War, applications satellites evolved down two separate paths: one devoted to national security needs, the other to civilian interests.
Ariel 1 Satellite | National Air and Space Museum
This is a replica of Ariel-1 satellite, the world's first internationally conceived and executed satellite. The flight model was designed and built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and carried six British experiments designed to study the ionosphere and its relationship to solar radiation, including cosmic ray, solar emission and ...
Military Reconnaissance | National Air and Space Museum
The Predator can provide near real-time reconnaissance using a satellite data link system and perform attack missions as well. The Museum's Predator was one of the first three UAVs to fly operational missions over Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Telstar and the World of 1962 | National Air and Space Museum
Jul 23, 2012 · Last week, the Museum recognized the 50th anniversary of Telstar, the first “active” satellite (one that can receive a radio signal from a ground station and then immediately re-transmit it to another) and the first technology of any kind that enabled transatlantic television transmissions. In 1962, both accomplishments generated intense interest, excitement, and …
Corona ITEK Collection | National Air and Space Museum
It was to launch into orbit a camera-carrying spacecraft that would take photographs of the Soviet Union and return the film to Earth. The secret spy satellite was dubbed Corona by the CIA. To disguise its true purpose, it was given the cover name Discoverer and described as a scientific research program.
Cone, Satellite, Pioneer IV | National Air and Space Museum
Cone, Satellite, Pioneer IV Summary This object is a flight spare of the Pioneer IV spacecraft, which was launched March 3, 1959, on a Juno II launch vehicle.