Archive for May, 2009

What Does a Satellite Do?

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

Most communications satellites carry active microwave repeaters, or transponders. The satellite receives signals from an earth transmitter, amplifies them, translates them to another frequency, and then retransmits the signals back down to one or more earth stations.

The signal transmitted by a ground terminal is degraded by the signal’s long distance path through the atmosphere on its way up to the satellite. Amplification onboard the satellite ensures that the received signal is restored so an accurate signal with sufficient strength will be relayed back down to the earth. The signal returning to earth will lose a lot of signal strength.

Satellites Today in Business

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Virtually everyone in the world today, either directly or indirectly, uses satellites. They so extensively embed satellites in today’s global technology culture that it is difficult to find someone not affected. However, the impact of satellites is not intuitively obvious to the average person.

Why?

For one thing, satellites are not visible. A person making a phone call does not think about the path his call takes to get to the distant end, nor does he particularly care as long as the call gets through.

Space and Satellite Environment

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Space is an unlimited three-dimensional medium. Space is the military “high ground.” Historically, whoever held and used the high ground had a significant advantage over his adversaries. The use of space offers the any business enhanced capabilities on the battlefield of business and provides communications, position/navigation data, early warning, weather, environmental monitoring, surveillance, and targeting capabilities. Businesses today are using space products, sometimes without even being aware of it. The effective use of space systems and products is critical to successful business global operations.