Events
Launch Pad Lecture: Satelloon: Bouncing the Signal from Above
April 7, 2017
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
3198 State Rte 2001, Alamogordo, NM 88310
- Venue:
- New Mexico Mueseum of Space History
- Admission:
- Free and open to the public
- Website:
- www.nmspacemuseum.org
- Contact Name:
- Cathy Harper
- Contact E-mail Address:
- cathy.harper@state.nm.us
- Contact Phone Number:
- 575-437-2840 ext. 41153
Echo 1 is best known as one of the earliest communications satellites, one of several attempts to deploy reflectors in space to bounce radio signals over the horizon on Earth. It also helped us measure the density of the upper atmosphere. This aluminized “beachball” in space was also the first satellite that many people saw without the aid of tracking gear. This “balloon satellite,” and others like it, was nicknamed “satelloon.” Join Education Director Dave Dooling (who recalls seeing Echo 1!) for a look at the Echo project, which included a test flight from White Sands, and its heritage.
The Launch Pad Lectures are streamed live on Periscope and are available on the museum’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SirhgX3NsxcREfOVLjHeA