https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19970026049 2020-06-18T00:19:35+00:00Z J NASA SP-4217 BEYOND THE IONOSPHERE: Fifty Years of Satellite Communication AndrewJ. Butrica, Editor The NASA History Series National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA History Office Washington, D.C. 20546 1997 Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Beyond tile Ionosphere: Fifty _t'ars of Satellite Conmmnication/AndrewJ. Butrica, editor. p. cm.--(NASA historical series) (NASA SP: 4217) Includes bibliographical references (p. 289) and index. 1. Artificial satellites in lelecommunication. I. Butrica, Andrew J. It. Series. III. Series: NASA SP; 4217. TK5104.B41q 1997 621.382'38--dc21 97-10856 CIP For sate by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Dtx:umenls, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washinglon. DC 20402-9328 ISBN 0-16-049054-5 To the pioneering dreamers and doers of satellite communications: Arthur C. Clarke, who envisioned the geosynchronous orbit and a global satellite television network;John Robinson Pierce, for transforming the visions of his science fiction into a science fact, Echo; Col. John H. DeWitt, Jr., and Zolt_in Bay, for achieving the j_rst successful space communications links; and James H. Trexl_ who turned the Moon into humanity's first communications satellite. Contents Acknowledgments ....................................................... xi Introduction .......................................................... xiii Part I: Passive Ori_ns (:haptcr 1 Daniel R. Headrick, "Radio \k'rsus Cable: Inlernalitmal .............. 3 Tehwonmunlications Before Satellites" (;hapter 2 l)avid K. van Ketn¢'tL "Moon ill Their Eyes: ]"do¢m (_ommtmicalion .... 9 Relay at the Naval Research I ,aboratory, 1951-1 t)62" (Jhipter "3 .]on Agal, "M,_)on ReliLx Experiments alJ<_drell Bank" . .............. 19 Part II: Creating the Global, Re_onal, and National Systems The United States and Canada Chapter 4 l)onald (]. Elder, "Something of Value: Echo and the Beginnings ..... 33 of Satellite (]omtnut+.icltliotls" (_hapter 5 (haig B. Waff, "thojc'ct Echo, (;oldstone, and ltohndel: Satellile . ..... 41 (;onnntmications as \:iewed F]on+ the (,round Slalioll" (]hal)ler (i l)aniel R. (;lover, "NASA Experimental Ccmmnmicatiorls Satellites ..... 51 1!t58-1995"' Chal3ter 7 l)avid N. Spires and Rick W. Sturdevant, "From Advent to Milslar: .... 63 The U.S. Air Force and the Challenges of Military Satellite ( ',< ) II111111 lli('it+til )II S" (:hapter 8 William W. Ward and Franklin W. Floyd, "Thirty $_:'ars of . .......... 79 Spa<,'e (_otm:nttnications Researcl+i and l)eveloptncn! at I+incoln l+aboratory" (]hapt.+.'r 9 I)a_idJ. \Vhahql, "Billion Dollar Technology': A Short I listorical ...... 95 ()v('rview of Ihe Origins o1'( ',onmmrdcations Satellitv "Iechnoh)gn/, 1945-1965" vii Europe Chapter 10 Armro Russo, "I,aunching the European Teleconmnufications ...... 131 Satellite Prowam" Chapter 11 I,orenza Sebesm, "U.S.-European Relations and the Decision to ..... 137 Build Ariane, the European Launch Vehicle" Chapter 12 Nigel Wright, '`The Formulation of British and European Policy . .... 157 Toward an International Satellite Teleconmmnications System: The Role of the British Foreign Oll]ce" (:halm'r 13 Jonathan F. Galloway, "Originating Comnmnications Satellite ....... 171 Systems: The Interactions of Technological Change, Domestic Politics, and Foreign Policy" Part III: The Unfolding of the World System Geography, Politics, and Culture Chapter 14 Bert C. Blevis, "The Pursuit of Equality: The Role of the Ionosphere 195 and Satellite Communications in Canadian l)evelopment" Chapter 15 Zlm '_51in, "The l,ong March to Space: Satellite Communications ..... 205 in China" Chal)wr 16 Raman Srinivasan, "No Free l,aunch: l)esigning the Indian ......... 215 National Satellite" Chapter 17 Brian Shoesmilh, "Footprints to the Future, Shadows of the Past: .... 227 Toward a History of Communications Satellites in Asia" ('hapter 18 jos(, Ahshuler, "From Shortwave and Scatter to Satellite: Cuha's ..... 243 International (k)mmunications" (Jmpter 19 Roberto l)iaz-Martfn, "The Recent ttistory of Satellite ............. 251 (k)mmunications in (_ttha" Applications Chapter 20 .Joseph N. l'ehon, "Project SHARE and the l)evelopment of Glohal . 257 Satellite Conununications" Chapter 21 EdwardJ. Martin, "The Evolution of Mobile Satellite Conmmnications . 265 Chal)ter 22 Aclmn I+. (h+uen, "Net (;ain: The Use of Satellites at MCI". ........... 283 viii Appendices Appendix A For Further Reading ........................................ 289 Appendix B Timclin(' ()t S(']cclcd Events in the l)cvclopn_cnt of Satellilc . ....... 29?, (',onmnum'ations About the Authors ..................................................... 3lll Glossary of Acronyms .................................................. 307 Index ............................................................... 31 I The NASA History Series ............................................... 319 ix Acknowledgments This volume origin_tlcd :,;t,vct_l ',,<.'avs_g<_ _>ut ot my ,_v<,win._ interest in C,c:,111111tlni<.'ati(_lls sat¢'llitt's and Ih<.'iv t)<.'ginnil/gs--an i]lttut'st tirol lind bccn sparked by my z-t,s¢,,wch into the hislot+x of radar astn-<motnv. The two. ] disc<)vcrcd, had much iti comm_,n. I then llR'I _t puir ol+ (;<.'oru,-¢'W;tshington [!nivcv,+ity gyadtmtc stttdt'nts wllo wcrc preparing, or tltiYtkinR of ptCl)ari|tg, doctoral Ihest,s _)n tlt(+ hi,,torv of s+itlt'llit(" c<+tnnm|licati_>ns. W(" (l('cidcd to <.h_ so{nothing--{nil{lilly tLndCfitl<.'d, lhottgh perhaps +t c<+nli.'rcnct' scssion--on lit<.' slfl)j('ct SOtlt¢'tittl<.' ill the near Itttttr<.+. I,ikc lit<.' pro'+<.!cbia] "l:,csl laid plans ol+mice a,td men," this ]:dan wen! _tstF_t'+,1+ill in a _ood dirccti<Hl--natncly, an entire conR'vencc ou lit<.' dt+',+ch>l,nt'nt ol s,llcllitc cotnmt|nic;i.- ti_)ns. Th:tt c<>nFcrcnce would nol have taken platc, h_)wcvcv, x,:<.'rc it n<_t fi)r tlt(' _t,n<.,l()_,- ily of Ro<_ct I). l.attnitls, NASA (_hit'l llist<_rian, and tilt" NASA l list<_vv ()flicc. l)r. l.aunitts ,n;tdc _tvailabh' tlt<." NASA I [t'atd(it|_trlt'Ys attditoriutn and the I listovv ()[tic( + sl+ilII, at:+well +its _t snl,dl stil,,¢'tld to co'co| linlilcd cxpt'nscs. Wit|totll his C_+ltti|ttfittg, stti>p<_rl, tilt" conR'r- t'nct'--atld this "..ohHtl<.'--wl)ttld ll()t h+it',.'c ('olll(" int<> cxisl('l]('{'. It w,ts, IlI<)It'()Vt'I, _t plc+itstut" t(> work with Dr. [.arm{us and with the cntirc I lislorv (){lice st,tlF. In particul,w, the diligent service of Natlint' .l- ..\11([tt'+it_,st'tl wa'.; +itllovt' ,ilt(| bt'voF|d tlt(' c:tll ol+ (hlt.,'. [ it]+,io XWIIll to lll_ltlk l]l()_(" ",,'+:It<+ nt'l+'¢t'(I it_, st'ms{Oil Ill<+(l('l'ltl(>l'_ dttl-ing lilt (i)Ilft'l+<.'lICt': ,S'c]via K. Kra<.:tnct +. senior p_dicy atlalyst ill the (){lice oF l'olicv told l'l+itns _ll lht' Nati_mal .-\cronalttics and SlmCC Administration, and |brmt+Y NASA (;hit,f llist<_rian; .{{din Krigc, li>Ytnevlv of th<.' Et_ropt'an Spact' :\gcncy I list<wv I'r_!jcct, Ettv<_pc;tn t_niv<.,rsitv ]nstittttc, Flort+nct +, ;tnd ('tllTt'ItI]'.+ r di|t+t+lor, (',t'ntc| I_t + I_t+sc_uch in the l li_+t<wx of .";tit'+tot+ _tnd Tcclmoloi.,ff++ (',it( dt's Nlit'Itt<.': ,;, ct tl¢' l'Indt_stvic, Paris+ l'an_t'l+it E. Mack, l'v<_l('ss(>|-ol l listory, (:]cmson [:nivcrsilv; _lndJos¢'ph N. Tat_lrcwicz, ProR'ssor oIllistovv, University t)f M+itYvland, l+,allitnoYc ('.<_ttntv. "]]+_inks. l<_, _) to .l,,I,,t v. E',m]s, \'it<+' l:'rcsidt'Y|t and l)ir('cl<)r <)I(_omsat [,al)_+r+iu<)cics+ and Mi(ha{'l ()itt_fr+ lbr ,_tl'l_tt1_ilt_ lit<.' tour <+I(_oll|s,tt l.:tbs. Finally, _tF, pl't'ti;tlit)n is deserved by those who l_ctpcd in tit(" t'dilin<_ :tnd c_mtp<_si- tioH of lifts volu|nc: .l;tni{' l+t'nt+, N|ich_tcl (3rukovic, P_ttvici,t l,tHkt,nhottsc lall)crt, Jonathan l,. l:|-i{'dtnan, and _Sl:tnlcv Arlis. Andrew.]. l_,utri(_t, Editor xi Introduction The year 1995 marked a number of anniversaries in lhe developnlen! of satellite conmnmications: • The thirty-fifth anniversary of the launch of Echo 1, the firsl passive comml|nications balloon • The thirtieth anniversar,v of the April 1965 launch of Early Bird (Intelsat 11, (',omsat's tirst satellite, which effectively began global satellite conmlunicatioYls • The twenly-tiflh anrfiversary of the latuwh of NAT()S,XI', lilt" tivsl satellite stationed over the Atlantic ()cean to carry military tvattic belweell Ihe United States and its NATO allies * Most notably, the tiftieth anniversary ot Arlhur (]. (;larke's article pld)lished ill V_Vreh'__ _brl(f, in which he proposed the use of geosynchronoltsly orbititlg satellites [by com- illtllli(ati()llS le[ay sill'S k Satellite comnlltlficatit)ns are at the very heatt ()t +the notion of a "glol)al village +`and ct)nstittHe a continually growing, muhibil[i()n-d<)llar, nearly ubiqtfilous civil and mililarv enter-prise (Icsevving recognition. Much thnlitre accom])anied the litst satellile televisi()n bro,_tlcasts. _i't, as the techn<)h)g_' has gvo,,vtl itlc|easiYlgly I)erv_tsive. satellites t|ave t)ecmlw an almost invisible part of the cultural latldscal)e. Simuhaneouslv, satellite communicatio|l has t)ec()tlle a tlelllen(lotls illlelnalional (Ollllllt'l(iitl Sll((css, (lll-IenIIv worth aroiln(i $15 billion dollars pet year; it is on the vetge ()f expanding specta(ttlarly ill the near filture, t)t'tllat)s to $30 billion per year by tilt" end of the decade, l)espite the expanding network t)f fiber optic cables, apl)roxinl_tely 60 percent t)t all overseas ct)mnnmicalions ])ass via satellites. More than 200 cotmlries and levt-il()ries rely t)n Yleatlv 200 satellites fo|- ttelcnse, (livc(t l)t-oa(hast, navigational, and mol)ile conlnluni(ations, not t() nlenti<)v| data collecti(m and faxing, via domestic, regional, and global liHks.