Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN 53
diodes, solar cells, and reliable traveling wave tubes. Out of the work which the Bell
Laboratories has done in the Echo experiment, and from its long and extensive participation
in radar have come a series of developments directly applicable to satellite communications,
such as high-quality antennas of the horn and Casegranian types, microwave
masers as low noise receivers, FM circuits with feedback, also for low noise, and various
techniques for precision tracking.
[3] The achievement of a communications satellite system will depend not only on effective
satellite relays and expert communications systems engineering. These must be joined
in a unique fashion with space technology where NASA’s primary responsibility lies.
Moreover, space relaying of signals, like other isolated communications techniques, can
provide useful communications service only when combined with existing land facilities.
It is this joining of the communications and space arts and facilities which indicates the
desirability for the joint efforts of our organizations.
It is our thought that such joint efforts would have as their objectives both demonstrating
transatlantic TV (which we understand to be one of NASA’s primary objectives)
and other experiments which will represent the first step in an orderly developmental program
for an operating communications system.* Concurrently we would have extensive
effort on ground stations for transmitting and receiving, as well as tracking facilities for
controlling the antennas. The problems of the entire communication system, including
economic problems as well as such important matters as optimum bandwidth, operating
margins, systems balance and reliability of components would receive prime attention.
This experiment in its public communications aspects would, we believe, provide
information and an opportunity for experimentation not only to us but also to other interested
common carrier communication companies. This can be accomplished by inviting
other international common carriers to use the satellite circuits experimentally for their
own forms of communication.
With this as background, we would like to offer the following specific proposals:
a. That NASA and we join in the setting of performance specifications for the first
experimental active satellite.
b. That we develop and build the first satellite taking advantage of research already
done and developments well under way. We are prepared to pay for this work in
its entirety, or for such part of the expense as would reflect our respective interests
in the project.
[4] c. That NASA launch the first satellite and provide tracking data from its Minitrack
stations. In this connection, we are willing to bear the whole cost of launching and
tracking or to share these costs with NASA in any way you feel will properly reflect
our respective interests in the project.
d. That the existing ground station at Holmdel be made available and modified at
our expense for the purpose of making the necessary communications tests. (This
station is, of course, compatible with the communications network of this
Company.)
e. That, taking advantage of our long established working relations with overseas
communications operating agencies, arrangements be made with at least one of
them for one or more overseas ground stations.
f. That other common carriers be invited to use the satellite circuits experimentally
when such circuits are operational.
g. That full information on satellite performance be made available to NASA.
* A program for the Development of an Active Satellite Communication System has been prepared by
Bell Telephone Laboratories and is available for detailed discussion.