Existing comment:
Satellite Breakthrough:
This Applications Technology Satellite 1 (ATS 1) is a replica of the one launched by NASA in 1966. It was the first satellite to send and receive signals simultaneously. In 1967, ATS 1 was the third link in a satellite chain that made possible the first live global television broadcast. Called "Our World," the program was watched by viewers in 24 countries. The two-hour telecast spanned the globe with live segments ranging from a demonstration of shrimp fishing in Japan to a Beatles recording session in England. Also that year, ATS 1 provided the first live pictures from the Pacific of the splashdown of the unmanned Apollo 4 command module. Designed to operate for three years, ATS 1 functioned for 19 years. |