Dates
When was Sputnik 1 launched?
1957
What is GPS?
Global Positioning System
What is Sputnik 1?
The first artificial satellite of the Earth (launched by the Soviet Union in 1957)
What is a satellite?
Satellite - natural or artificial object in space that orbits another celestial body
When was the term "satellite" first used?
1611
What is LANDSAT?
Program identifier and name for a NASA family of satellites that locates natural resources and monitors conditions on the Earth's surface.
Define a space probe
Space probe - spacecraft that either fly by, orbit, or land on a celestial body, other than Earth
When did Telstar 1 become the first commercial satelitte?
1962
What does NASA mean?
National Institute of Aeronautics and Space
What does perigee mean?
Perigee - the lowest point of an orbit
When did COMSAT start relaying messages?
1958
What does COMSAT mean?
Communications satellite (also the corporate identifier of the Communications Satellite Corporation).
Define apogee
Apogee - the highest point of an orbit of a natural or man-made satellite, OR the highest point in the path of any projectile.
From what year to what year where all satellites unmanned?
1957-1961
What does INTELSAT mean, and what was it called at first?
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization. Originally called ITSO.
Define ballistic coefficient
Ballistic Coefficient - a measure of an object’s ability to overcome air resistance in flight — calculated as the object’s mass divided by the product of its drag coefficient and reference cross-sectional area.