How Satellites Benefit Society

HOW SATELLITES
BENEFIT SOCIETY

Satellites are used almost everyday by everyone. Even though you can't see it, there will probably be one traveling above you today. Satellites are used for many things such as communication, oceanography, astronomy, surveillance, and a variety of other things as well . They help many scientists get a perceptive view at all kinds of objects anywhere in the world.

Communications

Communication satellites work non-stop 24 hours a day to keep the entire world linked together. Until recently NASA had been the only one's launching satellites, but now many private companies are benefiting from what a satellite can do. Once a satellite becomes geosynchronous, rotates with the earth orbit, a satellite is ready to work. It then beams messages to a ground station, the ground station receives these messages by using a device called a transponder. Which interrupts the message and then distributes it. By doing this satellite stations can than transport telephone service, data, or television transmissions to almost anywhere. These communication satellites are used for things like an overseas phone call or beaming 150 channels into your living room.

New advancements look to focus on packing more information into frequencies, because virtually all frequency transmitters are being used. And this would allow more and more companies to transport all types of data.

Oceanography

Another use for satellites is in the field of oceanography. In 1798, the first three oceanography satellites went out ( Tirus, Nimbus 7, Seasat) and although they didn't do much they led the way to huge discoveries (Robinson 34). Now marine scientists and marine biologist are able to detect almost everything that goes on in the ocean. They use satellites to detect the oceans affect on environment, analyze wave patterns, monitor marine surface life, analyze ocean tendencies and currents, and get a complete synoptic view of the ocean. These things help them tell you what the water will be like, and help them find out about ocean life.

Astronomy

Astronomy satellites are mostly new technology. These satellites are mounted on earth-orbiting satellites or on deep space probes, and therefore can give us an unobstructed view with out the earth's atmosphere interfering. These satellites carry detectors to record electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths shorter than visible light (McGraw-Hill 41). Many different satellite astronomy techniques are used, one of the more prevalent ones is ultraviolet. Evolving in the 1940's, when Lyman Spitzer pointed out that the Earth's atmosphere is opaque to ultraviolet light. Out of ultraviolet developed solar ultraviolet , with a deeper space base it uses low and high spectral lines, to determine radiation on an object throughout the solar atmosphere. X-ray satellites are all used, it looks at x-ray emission from the sun and stars.

Surveillance

Lastly, an interesting satellite use is in the field of surveillance or spy satellites. There are four kinds of major satellites (White 100). The most commonly used one, reconnaissance use cameras to take pictures of a particular place from up above. They also have radar and infrared detectors so they can detect things in the dark or things that are covered by something or camouflage. Most of Russia's reconnaissance are known as COSMOS, the U.S. first one was called Big Bird. Ocean Surveillance satellites are used to search for ships or submarines. They can spot nuclear vessels. And new advancements may allow them to scan the depths of the ocean. Early warning and "Elint" satellites are primarily used by the armed forces. These basically protect countries from sneak attacks, and can be used to detect if other countries are building or storing nuclear warheads. Elint is the basic spy satellite it picks up radio transmissions, and maps location of countries defense bases. It is the most important military satellite because it does not let another country to put together an attack without another country knowing.

Conclusion

As you can see satellites are an integral part of everyday life. They have thousands of uses and perform it without most ever being seen. Just think now how many satellite dishes you have seen on top of a house and that's just one aspect. Satellites are becoming more and more advanced every year and will lead the way into the 21st century.