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Sputnik 1: first satellite
Sputnik 1 was the world's first artifical satellite and orbital spacecraft. It was launched on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union, and stayed in orbit for 92 days. Sputnik 1 was able to transmit radio signals using its radio transmitter. Its launch marked the beginning of the space age, as well as the start of a continuing period of military, technological and scientific developments. Source: http://www.geosats.com/sathist.html -
TIROS 1: First weather satellite
TIROS I was the world's first weather satellite (USA). 42” in diameter of aluminum alloy and stainless steel, its success revolutionized weather observation and forecasting of earth. TIROS I was operational for 78 days and proved that satellites could be a useful tool for surveying global weather conditions from space. It was followed by nine more test satellites launched between to provide routine, daily weather observations.
Source: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/collections/TIROS/tiros.html -
Telstar 1: first TV broadcasts
Telstar 1 was the world's first active communications satellite. It demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting information via satellite, gained experience in satellite tracking and studied the effect of Van Allen radiation belts on satellite design. Telstar 1 relayed the world's first transatlantic television signal. Within six months of the launch, it facilitated over 400 telephone, telegraph, and television transmissions. Source: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/telstar.html -
International Space Station
A scientific and engineering collaboration between five space agencies representing 15 countries, the ISS is one of the most complex projects in history and the largest structure humans have ever put into space. The ISS serves as a lab for new technologies and as an observation platform for astronomical, environmental, and geological research, and is habitable. It allows for stunning scientific advancements and developments.
Source: http://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html -
LANSAT 7
Landsat 7 is a satellite which gathers remotely sensed images of land surface and coastal regions for global change research, regional environmental change studies, national security uses, and other civil and commercial purposes. Since the Landsat program marked huge advances in digital photography, with numerous companies (including Google) have licensing the images for their mapping software.
Source: http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=3184
