US Satellite Abandoned in 1967 JUST Started Transmitting Again

HisTech ^ | 2016 | John Smith

[Buttons12]

Late bloomer.

[mylife]

I never became a guru, but have long been mystified..

[dereknunley]

send more chuck barry

[BobL]

The answer as to why it survived is in the headline.

[Waverunner]

I went to elementary School about 30 miles south of cape Canaveral in 1963. We would be marched out into the playground to watch launches. My dad worked for Radiation Inc., now called Harris Corp. building dishes for satellite communications. Of course back then a dish was about 80 feet across, or larger. He would let us know about launch times, and we would make sure we were looking towards the cape at that time. Night launches were the best. I was lucky to watch Mercury, Gemini and the Apollo launches. Apoolo 11 launched on my brothers birthday, and we always joked that he got the biggest birthday candle. Back then it seemed a satellite or test launch was happening almost every week. Good times. dad used to go fishing in front of patrick afb. We would go climbing on the missile exibits. I've actually crawled out onto the nose og the snark ( the red one). Back when kids could build, forts, climb trees and just have fun.

[ealgeone]

I was thinking NOMAD!

[Teacher317]

If it is in orbit, then how is it unobtainable??

[InABunkerUnderSF]

The picture of it on Wikipedia looks like a single Vela Hotel test ban monitor, which always launched in pairs and remained operational for more than 20 years.

[buffaloguy]

V’ger?

[golux]

Tell me when you find out!
This article gets more and more interesting.
I had no idea that the pacific tests obliterated the ionosphere.
Whoa!
Great post!

[polymuser]

Dirty pool, that. Do not hit the source website here.

As to the satellite, the idea of the dead battery load somehow disconnecting (battery or connection decay from radiation, flying spec hit) from the solar power circuit makes sense.

Maybe that can work for old Joe Biden?

[EQAndyBuzz]

It’s a zombie satellite. One of maybe 24 or so that are wandering around the galaxy, with no brain and no purpose. Hmm, sounds like the Democrat candidates in 2020.

[minnesota_bound]

the satellite stopped communicating with its base for 46 long years before Williams’ discovery of its abrupt (and for some, alarming) revival.

Yep aliens using our satellites. Can’t be good.

[MikelTackNailer]

The ionosphere would quickly recover. But they wanted communication unaffected by disturbances, and that is a role for satellites.

Ahh, another example of Earth healing itself no matter what mankind inflicts upon it. Someone get on the jungle drum and inform the greenie weenies.

A fortune will be had for the person or group who make an efficient means to clean up all the orbital junk. Right now there's a whole team of people (at NORAD?) who have to track it all.

[cyclotic]

My son was a data technician on the SOHO satellite mentioned in the article. It went live the month he was born for a two year mission.

They lost contact for several years and regained it. When he was 20, he went to work for them in a college job.

[Calvin Locke]

Maybe they got some bad solder, less lead than needed to retard the growth of “hair” from the tin, creating a beneficial short?

[golux]

It’s a zombie satellite. One of maybe 24 or so that are wandering around the galaxy, with no brain and no purpose. Hmm, sounds like the Democrat candidates in 2020.

Alas! zombie satellites do no harm.

[Red Badger]

I hope we have some whales ready....................