Broadcasting from space - closer to Reality 1969
- Paper ID
IAF-69-52
- author
- company
General Electric Company
- country
U.S.A.
- year
1969
- abstract
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States, and the U.S. space industry, are pursuing all of the technologies both in space and on the ground, pertinent to broadcast satellites. This technology work, together with associated applications and systems studies, clearly show that space broadcasting is not only feasible, but highly practical as well. Countries such as Brazil and India are now leading the way and others are not far behind, in performing extensive systems studies to define how space broadcasting can satisfy important needs of their countries. Experiments are also being planned to use the capabilities of NASA’s new ATS F/G satellites for practical evaluations of space broadcasting to both community centers and schools in the early 1970’s. This is one of the most significant space applications that will benefit mankind all over the world. There exists a wide range of possible space broadcasting systems to satisfy all the applications we might project. One that seems to satisfy the most pressing needs in developing countries is the community television system. A satellite would transmit the TV signals directly to all of a nation’s village or school television receivers. Thus, there would be no need for the expensive installation of microwave systems or a network of wires between the villages of a nation. Obviously, a system of this type implies a large number of independent TV receiving stations, and creates the need to minimize the cost of these receiving stations. This must be done in two ways. The first is to develop satellites with sufficient power to allow the use of relatively lower-performance receivers. The second is to develop TV sets which can receive other than conventional TV signals. For example, standard TV sets can be augmented with converters, or new sets can be provided which include the appropriate electronics. The important concern here is the use of mass-production design techniques to lead to equipment of minimum cost.