TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) I, launched in April 1960, was the world's first weather satellite. TIROS imaged large swaths of the Earth's surface, allowing forecasters and scientists to see directly for the first time the large-scale features of our planet's weather systems.

This is a replica of Ariel-1 satellite, the world's first internationally conceived and executed satellite. The flight model was designed and built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and carried six British experiments designed to study the ionosphere and its relationship to solar radiation, including cosmic ray, solar emission and ...

Launched in December 1961, OSCAR 1 (Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio) was the world's first non-governmental satellite. Built by a group of California based amateur radio operators for only 63 dollars, OSCAR I operated for nearly …

The Predator can provide near real-time reconnaissance using a satellite data link system and perform attack missions as well. The Museum's Predator was one of the first three UAVs to fly operational missions over Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Communications Satellites | National Air and Space Museum

The works frequently used a similar formula, combining cultural symbols, images of the satellite, and an overhead view of the Earth to reinforce pictorially the importance of space technologies in national or international life. This poster is of Telstar 3, a satellite undertaken by AT&T to serve the eastern U.S. and launched in 1983.

The resulting Explorer 1 satellite was successfully launched and placed into Earth orbit on January 31, 1958. The satellite transmitted data on micrometeorites and cosmic radiation for 105 days. Data from this and two subsequent Explorer satellites led to the discovery by James Van Allen of a belt of intense radiation surrounding the Earth.

This is an engineering prototype of Orbiting Solar Observatory 1 (OSO-1), the earliest of the spin stabilized scientific satellites. This object touted the ability of the satellite's systems to search out and lock onto a "solar" image. It demonstrated the sun-pointing capabilities of the satellite.

In contrast, to individual national satellite programs, Intelsat, formed in 1964, was an international consortia aimed at making satellite communications broadly available. When INTELSAT VI became operational, more than 100 countries were members. The satellite was built by Hughes Space and Communications Company, which commissioned the poster.

The resulting Explorer 1 satellite was successfully launched and placed into Earth orbit on January 31, 1958. The satellite transmitted data on micrometeorites and cosmic radiation for 105 days. Data from this and two subsequent Explorer satellites led to the discovery by James Van Allen of a belt of intense radiation surrounding the Earth.