Communications Satellites

The first "real time" communications satellite was launched in 1962, allowing live broadcasts to be viewed on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, communications satellites provide services that those first viewers would hardly have been able to imagine: hundreds of television channels that broadcast directly to three-foot dishes; crystal-clear reception of the same radio station from coast to coast; table-top, laptop, and handheld personal computers; e-mail and instant messaging that truly are instant. The future promises further mind-boggling advances that will make communication even faster and easier. Ann Byers leads an intriguing tour through this brave new world of space-based technology.