Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Happy Birthday Telstar!!
Today is Telstar I's 45th Anniversary! Launched July 10th 1962 aboard a NASA Delta rocket it was also the first privately funded space launch.
This first communications satellite was nothing like what we're accustomed to today. First off unlike most current communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit, Telstar was in a highly elliptical or Molniya orbit type orbit. Since it was not stationary in the sky passes needed to be calculated and tracked. A typical transatlantic window was only 20 minutes.
Although Telstar is still in orbit today it failed less than 6 months after it's launch due to intense radiation bombardment from high altitude nuclear testing.
(props to BoingBoing and Telstar Logistics )
#posted by Rob Roschewsk @ 8:35 PM