NASA's Echo 1 was an early experiment in satellite communication. Launched inside a metal sphere, it inflated in low Earth orbit into a giant Mylar balloon, 30.5 meters across. Project personnel dubbed it a “satelloon.” For four years, it circled the globe every 2 hours, reflecting radio, telephone, and TV signals between ground stations. One of its most novel uses occurred on 9 November 1960, when U.S. postmaster general Arthur Summerfield used the satellite to inaugurate Speed Mail, an attempt to propel the traditional postal network into the space age. In Summerfield's first Speed Mail letter, he urged “Mr. and Mrs. America” to post their holiday cards and presents early. That remains sound advice even in the Internet age and certainly during a global pandemic. → For more on the history of satellite mail and Echo 1, see spectrum.ieee.org/pastforward-dec2020.

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卫星专递

NASA 的 Echo 1 是卫星通信的早期实验。它在一个金属球体内发射，在低地球轨道上膨胀成一个巨大的聚酯薄膜气球，直径为 30.5 米。项目人员将其称为“卫星”。四年来，它每 2 小时绕地球一圈，在地面站之间反射无线电、电话和电视信号。其最新颖的用途之一发生在 1960 年 11 月 9 日，当时美国邮政局长亚瑟·萨默菲尔德 (Arthur Summerfield) 使用这颗卫星启动了 Speed Mail，试图将传统邮政网络推向太空时代。在萨默菲尔德的第一封速递信函中，他敦促“先生。和美国夫人”提前张贴他们的节日贺卡和礼物。即使在互联网时代，当然在全球大流行期间，这仍然是合理的建议。→ 有关卫星邮件和 Echo 1 历史的更多信息，请参阅 spectacle.ieee。