Category Archives: Applications Satellites

Chronology of Key Space Anniversaries for 2017

Posted on January 9, 2017 by launiusr

1942—75 Years Ago 3 October—Germany launched its V-2 rocket and is the first spacecraft to cross the Kármán line (100 km). 1947—70 Years Ago 20 February—The United States sent fruit flies into space. 1952—65 Years Ago 1 April—The U.S. Army … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Applications Satellites, Cold War Competition, Earth Science, History, International Space Station, Lunar Exploration, Science, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged 1960s, American exceptionalism, cold war, Department of Defense, Earth science, History, International Space Station, JFK, Moon, Moon race, NASA, public policy, Ronald Reagan, science, Soviet Union, space science, space shuttle, U.S. Civil Space, Wernher von Braun | 4 Comments

The Earth as Art

Posted on July 4, 2016 by launiusr

This is so cool! You may view in this stunning video the Earth through the eyes of the Landsat-7 satellite. At a sublime level these images are art, showing the beauty of the Earth from space. If we got nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, Earth Science, Personal, Science, Space | Tagged climate change, Earth science, History, NASA, public perceptions, space science | Leave a comment

Beginning the Age of Satellite Communication: Echo 1, August 1960

Posted on August 3, 2015 by launiusr

I just spoke with a journalist about the Echo 1 communications satellite test that took place in August 1960. It’s interesting that this month marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of the world’s first communication satellite, but it is an anniversary that … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, History, Science, Space | Tagged 1960s, History, NASA, technology transfer, U.S. Civil Space | 7 Comments

That Was The Year That Was in Space, 2014

Posted on December 29, 2014 by launiusr

While some might question it, 2014 was a fascinating year in spaceflight for the United States. This was not always a positive story. Here are my top five events of the year listed chronologically. Others may choose to emphasize other stories, … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, Space | Tagged Antares rocket, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Commercial Resupply Services contract, Cygnus capsule, Cygnus CRS Orb-1 Operational Resupply Mission, Cygnus CRS Orb-3, Delta IV Heavy, Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1), human spaceflight, International Space Station, Launch Failure, Michael Alsbury, NASA, Orbital Sciences Corp., Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Peter Siebold, Space Report 2014, space tourism, spaceshiptwo, Virgin Galactic | Leave a comment

The First Commercial Space Activity: Communications Satellites

Posted on June 13, 2014 by launiusr

The first commercial activities in space resulted from the efforts of the telecommunications industry to extend operations beyond the atmosphere almost with the beginning of the space age. Indeed, satellite communication was the only truly commercial space technology to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, Cold War Competition, History, Politics, Science, Space | Tagged 1960s, AT&T, cold war, Communication Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), Communications Satellite Act of 1962, communications satellites, COMSAT Corp., Early Bird, History, INTELSAT, international relations, International Telecommunication Satellite Consortium, John Pierce, NASA, Telstar, U.S. Civil Space | 1 Comment

NASA and the Stimulation of Non-Space Applications from Space-related Technology

Posted on March 31, 2014 by launiusr

Much has been made over the years of what NASA calls “spinoffs,” commercial products that had at least some of their origins as a result of spaceflight-related research. Most years the agency puts out a book describing some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in aeronautics, Apollo, Applications Satellites, aviation, History | Tagged NASA, public perceptions, public policy, spin-offs, tang, teflon, U.S. Civil Space | 1 Comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Down to Earth: Satellite Technologies, Industries, and Cultures”

Posted on June 26, 2013 by launiusr

Down to Earth: Satellite Technologies, Industries, and Cultures. Edited by Lisa Parks and James Schwoch. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2012. Paperback. Acknowledgments, illustrations, index. ISBN: 978-0-8135-5274-3, 320 pages, $29.95 USD. The back cover of Down to Earth claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, History, Space | Tagged Christy Collis, Cosmos 954, Down to Earth, James Schwoch, Lisa Parks, NAVSTAR Global Positioning System, President Jimmy Carter, Rick W. Sturdevant, Rutgers University Press, USA 193 | 3 Comments

Wednesday’s Book Review: “America’s Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National Security”

Posted on October 3, 2012 by launiusr

America’s Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National Security. By Jeffrey T. Richelson. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999. ISBN 0-7006-0942-3. Figures. Tables. Notes. Bibliographic Essay. Index. Pp. xix, 329. $35.00. Although now more thana decade old, this book is still … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, Cold War Competition, History, Politics, Space | Tagged 1960s, America's Space Sentinels, Defense Satellite Program, Department of Defense, DSP, History, international relations, Jeffrey Richelson, politics, presidential power, public policy, science, Soviet Union | 2 Comments

Envisioning Limits: Outer Space and the End of Utopia

Posted on April 19, 2012 by launiusr

I am attending the conference, “Envisioning Limits: Outer Space and the End of Utopia,” sponsored by the Emmy Noether Research Group, Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut, at the Freie Universität Berlin. It is a very engaging program and between April 19 and 21, 2012, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Applications Satellites, Cold War Competition, Earth Science, History, International Space Station, Lunar Exploration, Politics, Science, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged 1960s, 1970s, American exceptionalism, Apollo, astroculture, cold war, Earth science, History, international relations, International Space Station, Moon, Moon race, U.S. Civil Space | 1 Comment

Join Me and Many Others for the 50th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium

Posted on March 26, 2012 by launiusr

For anyone who might be in the Washington, D.C., area on Wednesday and Thursday, March 28 and 29, 2012, the American Astronautical Society is hosting the 50th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium at the Greenbelt Marriott. The conference theme of … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications Satellites, Earth Science, History, Lunar Exploration, Space, Space Shuttle | Tagged American Astronautical Society, international relations, International Space Station, NASA, nasa goddard space, nasa johnson space, nasa johnson space center, Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium, space science, transportation, travel, U.S. Civil Space, vacation | Leave a comment