The use of the Internet is a perfect example of this accessibility and this is possible due to communication satellite, usually abbreviated COMSAT.. It consists of an artificial satellit
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2 AModule
English Toolkit 1 - Communication
Nowadays, the entire world can learn about and be
updated with any event that happens in any place in
real time The use of the Internet is a perfect example
of this accessibility and this is possible due to
communication satellite, usually abbreviated COMSAT
It consists of an artificial satellite located in space for
retransmitting signals
Satellites are placed in different orbits according to
the specific need of communication For example, a
satellite in a geostationary orbit takes the same time
to move around the orbit For this reason, the satellite
appears to be in a fixed position when you can observe
it from the Earth Arthur Clarke was the first to propose
the concept of geostationary satellite, but he based his
work on previously conceived ideas
On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first
artificial non-communication satellite, Sputnik 1 One
year later, the United States followed the Russians
a Christmas greeting to the world In 1960, NASA
launched a satellite, Echo, which served as a passive reflector for radio communications The first truly geostationary satellite was the Syncom 3, launched on August 19, 1964 That year, it broadcast the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, to the United States
These were the first Olympic Games to be transmitted internationally However, it was the Relay 1 satellite that made the first television transmission across the Pacific Ocean, from the United States to Japan, on November
22, 1963
The use of satellites rapidly evolved and they became necessary tools for modern life Today, services not only include radio and television Satellites also enable ship, aircraft and military communications as well as GPS car navigation In addition to this, they transmit telephone signals and make weather forecast more accurate, among other applications
Activities
1 Read the text and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F)
Correct the false sentences.
a Geostationary satellites always stay in the same place in space
b NASA launched the first satellite
d The first television transmission occurred in 1964
e Nowadays, communication satellite is very useful
Communication Satellite
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English Toolkit 1 - Communication
2 Draw a timeline showing the evolution of communication satellite.
4 Complete the sentences with comparatives
to learn more about satellites.
5 Science Fair! Invent a satellite for a specific use Look for information
about satellites and their parts in different sources Make your own
model and label it Explain how the satellite works
3 Memory challenge! Look at the timeline and
write three questions using the Simple Past
Your partner has to answer them without
looking at the information.
a When a satellite is launched at a (great)
altitude, it takes (long) to complete one orbit
b By 1965, the number of satellites in space became much
(great) than previous years
c Satellites are now (small) the early versions
d Satellites are (reliable) fibre-optic cable
When did the Soviets launch the first satellite?
Was the first television transmission in 1964?
Type of satellite
first communication satellite
1964