Satellites: From Sputnik to Spaceway

                                                                        Process Paper by Matt Kragen

    The topic I originally chose to do my History Day project on was the evolution of military communications. I chose this is because I am very interested in the military. I was able to check out several books on what I thought would provide information about my topic, but there wasn’t enough information available in these books or on the Internet and I was forced to find a new topic in early December.

    My first step was researching satellites on the Internet at school where I found books on satellite communication. Next, I checked out books from the Carlsbad Library, the Vista Library and the Escondido Library. These books gave me most of the historical information about the development of satellites, but there wasn’t much information available in book form on the recent developments in satellite communications.

    I was able to read a lot of articles online at science magazine archives and the online trade magazine for the satellite communications industry called "Space News."

    These were all secondary sources, though, so I went looking for primary sources next.

    Because the government has been involved in satellite development, there are many government reports available online which were useful as primary sources. I also found interviews with satellite industry engineers who spoke at a conference in London in 2003 about the future of the industry. Their comments were very useful in undertanding how the satellite industry is now in a troubled period.

    Other primary sources were a number of research papers conducted by satellite companies on the current state of the industry.

    The reason I chose a Web site for my project is because I’ve used computers all of my life and I enjoy using the latest computer technology. I figured that anyone who is interested in learning about satellites would also interested in using computer technology and the Internet, so this would be the perfect way to present my research.

    Some of the elements of my Web site are: a brief history of satellites, including the launch of Sputnik and Explorer I; a historical timeline; a breakdown of the different types of satellites and how they work; the latest changes in satellite technology, including the Spaceway constellation that Hughes will launch this year; and the growth of the industry from a government-run business to a worldwide commercial business dominated by hundreds of private companies.

    This year’s theme is "Communication in History." Since satellites are a very large part of communication in the modern world, I based my topic on them. My project will show how a military/political standoff known as the Cold War led to the development of a huge, worldwide communications system that now brings nations together and could help prevent wars in the future.