| NASA Center: |
Headquarters |
|---|
| Image # : |
66-H-150 |
|---|
| Date : |
11/05/1984
|
|---|
|
Title
Engineers checkout Early Bird-Communication Satellite
Full Description
Engineers Stanley R. Peterson (left) and Ray Bowerman (right),
checkout the Early Bird, the world's first communication satellite.
NASA launched the satellite built by Hughes Aircraft Corporation on
April 6, 1955 at 6:48pm E.S.T. from Complex 17a at Cape Kennedy,
Florida. Early Bird was built for the Communications Satellite
Corporation and weighed about 85 pounds after being placed in a
synchronous orbit of 22,300 miles above the earth. It was positioned
over the Atlantic to provide 240 two-way telephone channels or 2-way
television between Europe and North America. The outer surface of
Early Bird was covered with 6,000 silicon-coated solar cells, which
absorbed the sun's rays to provide power to the satellite for its
intricate transmitting and receiving equipment.
Keywords
Communication Satellites
Subject Category
Communication-Satellites
Reference Numbers
- Center:
HQ
- Center Number:
66-H-150
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2003-00020
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: DIGITAL
| Resolution | Format | Width
(Pixels) | Height
(Pixels) | Size
(KBytes) |
Thumbnail |
JPEG |
93 |
72 |
13 |
Small |
JPEG |
662 |
512 |
78 |
Medium |
JPEG |
1551 |
1200 |
192 |
Large |
JPEG |
3101 |
2400 |
582 |
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Updated October 31, 2002
• History Questions: NASA History Office
• Responsible NASA Official: Steve Garber
• Author: Michael Hahn. Editor: Dwayne A. Day
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