Arthur C. Clarke predicts satellite & GPS in '56 (also earlier)

[boothuk]

Thought this would be a novel topic on here. This is an original correspondance from Arthur C. Clarke dated August 1956 in which he correctly envisaged a world with sat tv, sat nav and perhaps even mobile communitications.



The letter is to Andrew G. Haley, the brainchild of 'metalaw'.

The article Clarke refers to from wireless world in 1945 can be viewed here: http://www.clarkefoundation.org/docs...rldArticle.pdf

The first brainchild of Satellite TV!

[C64]

Great read mate.

[boothuk]

A bit more info for all those who receive satellite transmissions from sat's in 'Clarke orbit' (geostationary orbit)....


Sir Arthur C. Clarke's most famous prediction on the future is his proposal of geostationary satellite communications published in the Wireless World magazine in 1945. Not considered seriously at the time it became a reality within 20 years with the launching on 1965 April 6th of Intelsat I Early Bird the first commercial geostationary communication satellite.
A satellite in an equatorial circular orbit at a distance of approximately 42,164 km from the center of the Earth, i.e., approximately 35,787 km (22,237 miles) above mean sea level has a period equal to the Earth's rotation on its axis (Sidereal Day=23h56m) and would remain geostationary over the same point on the Earth's equator. In 2002 the Clarke Orbit had over 300 satellites. The first reference to geostationary satellites is Clarke's letter to the editor titled Peacetime Uses for V2 published in the 1945 February issue of Wireless World (page 58).
Arthur Clarke in his Scientific Autobiography Ascent to Orbit published 1984 say that he had forgotten about this letter till he was reminded of it in 1968 by the engineering staff of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.


Clarke privately circulated in 1945 May a proposal titled The Space-Station: Its Radio Applications in six typed manuscripts. The top copy of that is now in the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. It was reprinted in Spaceflight, Vol 10. no 3, March 1968 pp 85-86 and in Ascent to Orbit pp 57-58. In Ascent to Orbit Clarke says the paper with original title The Future of World Communications was written in late June and submitted to the RAF censor on July 7th. It was sent to Wireless World on August 13th and accepted on September 1st. The editor had changed title to Extra-Terrestrial Relays and published it in the 1945 October issue of Wireless World (pages 305-308).

The 1945 Proposal by Arthur C. Clarke for Geostationary Satellite Communications

[Meat-Head]

does it mention a fix for Nag3?

[Gumbo]

Thus no-one on the planet need ever get lost or be out of touch with the community, unless he wanted to be. I'm still thinking about the social consequences of this!

The guy even foresaw facebook.

[boothuk]

does it mention a fix for Nag3?

Nah, Gene Roddenberry predicted a fix for Nag3 but it's not due until 2265.