| It was on October 4, 1957, that the first
man-made object ever achieved orbit around Earth in outer
space. The Russian satellite Sputnik was designed to measure
and transmit information about the density of the upper
atmosphere as it circled the Earth. Before then, all
atmospheric information that meteorologists had was based on
"looking up" instead of "looking down." Since Sputnik, the
science of satellites has advanced significantly.
Specialized satellites now orbit the Earth for
telecommunications, global broadcasting, oceanic
observations, scientific research, and military purposes, as
well as for atmospheric observation. It's amazing to
consider the rapid progress and evolution of satellite
technology. |
