As a sidelight, Voyager 1, although nearly 25 billion km from earth, is still not a light-day away:
The distance of Voyager 1 from Earth is currently 24,958,561,834 kilometers, equivalent to 166.837681 Astronomical Units. Light takes 23 hours, 7 minutes and 32.8010 seconds to travel from Voyager 1 and arrive to us. TR ---------------------------------------- *From: *David Wardell via Mifnet <[email protected]> *To: *[email protected] *CC: *David Wardell <[email protected]> *Date: *Jul 10, 2025 15:03:07 *Subject: *[Mifnet 🛰 73047] Telstar > July 10[x-apple-data-detectors://0] is the 63rd anniversary of the Telstar > launch in 1962. This was among the very first sophisticated communication > satellites and marked the beginning of practical transatlantic television > transmission. >  > > Telstar was very advanced for its time. It was placed in an irregular orbit > about 3,500 miles above the earth and relied upon multiple ground antennas. > The device comprised around 1,000 transistors (a large number in the day). > Its central component was a traveling wave tube (TWT), which together with > supporting devices could amplify signals over 10,000 times. >  > > The TWT was a fascinating gadget. By the standards of the day, it worked > quite well. TWTs had been used for some time, but by Telstar's time their > limitations had been overcome, and they were efficient amplifiers.  The helix > TWT variant used in satellites performed reliably over millions of hours > while they were in use. >  > > I can recall some of the early Telstar TV transmissions, one featuring the > Pope in particular. There was some flutter and a bit of noise, but they were > watchable. >  > > Telstar performed well until an ill-conceived nuclear test in 1963 damaged > its electronics. > > I continue to marvel at what could be achieved in the 1960s. >  > >  > > *David Wardell* > (757) 561-0582 > [email protected] > [Image][Image > link][cid:[email protected]][https://wardell.us/url/b5s86] > [Image][Image > link][cid:[email protected]][https://wardell.us/url/s9qvz] >  > >  > >  >
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