Re: Satellite watching a recent event?
Phil Rogers (zprogersz@mindspring.com)
Sat, 13 Mar 1999 14:32:35 -0500
>Earl Needham wrote:
> I remember when I was around 10 years old (1964 or so) being in Eagle
>Pass, Texas, at an outdoor restaurant and the whole table getting VERY
>excited about seeing a satellite. Wish I knew the exact date so we could
>try to ID this one. Truth is, I don't even know the exact year.
A few years before that (late '50s/early 60's) when they launched the
Echo satellite, it became the popular craze at the time to stand around
at sunset (time as specified by various news reporters) to see if it
could be seen. Echo was the first ever communications satellite
(of sorts - no beacons, just a huge metallized mylar bag to serve as a
sky based reflector). I was also about 10 at the time and never did see
it (or even have any idea of how big it should appear), but remember
very well standing by the lake in middle Georgia looking for anything
different to appear in the sky.
Phil Rogers
zprogersz@mindspring.com
(antispam measures in effect - remove 'z's from address to reply)
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