Old Satellites Never Die!

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choff
Posts: 2447
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:02 am
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Old Satellites Never Die!

Post by choff »

A satellite abandoned 50 years ago comes back online by itself.

http://dailycaller.com/2016/11/22/satel ... ck-online/
CHoff

Tom Ligon
Posts: 1871
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:23 am
Location: Northern Virginia
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Re: Old Satellites Never Die!

Post by Tom Ligon »

That's neat!

Electronics of that age were stone-axe but robust. Integrated circuits were in their infancy, and it is likely this satellite has either none or just a handful. I would expect mostly discrete transistors, all bipolar, and probably fairly radiation-tolerant just based on their clunky bulk.

choff
Posts: 2447
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:02 am
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Re: Old Satellites Never Die!

Post by choff »

I remember my very first 6 transistor portable radio that could actually fit in my shirt pocket(a big deal at the time).
CHoff

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