munications is indispensable as a basic tool of human social activities. communications satellite provides the ability to cover wide areas of the earth's surface, including remote and sparsely populated areas lacking in terrestrial communications infrastructure. The early concepts of communications satellites date back to the fall of 1945 when an RAF electronics officer and member of the British Interplanetary Society, Arthur C. Clarke, wrote an article in Wireless World entitled, "Extra-Terrestrial Relays," describing 24-hour orbit (geostationary) satellites. The first person to evaluate both the technical options and financial feasibility of telecommunications satellites was John R. Pierce of AT&T Bell Laboratories in a 1955 article, "Orbital Radio Relays." The early development of communications satellites focused on mirrors or passive satellites (ECHO), but soon moved to repeater or active satellites which could amplify the received signal, providing much higher quality communications. In 1961 RCA was developing a medium-earth orbit system (RELAY), AT&T launched its medium- earth orbit TELSTAR satellite, and Hughes was developing the geosynchronous SYNCOM satellite. By 1964, two TELSTARs, two RELAYS, and two SYNCOMs had successfully operated in space. Global satellite communications began in 1965 with COMSAT's launch of the EARLY BIRD geosynchronous satellites; based on Hughes and TRW designs they provided 240 voice circuits or one television signal. Some of the events from the early days of communications satellites to today's global networks include: 1945 - Arthur C. Clarke Article, Manned Geosynchronous Communications Satellites 1955 - John R. Pierce Article, Technical and Economic Feasibility of Comm Satellites 1956 - First Trans-Atlantic Telephone Cable (TAT-1), 36 Simultaneous Calls 1957 - SPUTNIK, First Earth Satellite 1958 - EXPLORER-1, First US Satellite 1960 - ECHO-1, First Experimental Communications Satellite 1962 - TELSTAR-1, First Active Communications Satellite 1962 - RELAY-1 Launched 1963 - SY