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NASA FACTS
An Educational Services Public:ation of the
(G-12-62) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

PROJECT RELAY

Relay satellite superimposed on artist's conception of space .

Within five years, advances in space tech- and facsimile signals vIa a medium-altitude
nology may create an operational com munica- active-repeater sate II ite. It is also equipped to
tions satellite system that will vastly increase report on the functioning of its equipment and
intercontinental telephone, telegraph, and data on radiation in space .
exchange channels and make possible transocean
television. Contributing to progress toward this
w communications era is NASA ' s Relay satel-
Relay is the first space communications experiment
~ program.
designed to link three continents-North America, Europe,
Relay is designed to test intercontinental and South America.

transmission of telephone, television, teleprint,

Page 2 NASA FACTS (G-12-62)

Medium-altitude IS an arbitrary designation

for altitudes from several thousand to about
2,000 miles. Active repeater signifies that
elay is equipped to receive, amplify, and
tra nsmit radio signals. Active-repeater satel-
lites di ffer fro m passive co m m u n i cati ons satel-
lites, such as Echo, in that the latter function
simply as mirrors for reflection of radio signals.
Relay is but one of several experimental
communications satellite projects embarked upon
by the United States. The different technical
approaches of these programs are providing an
extensive variety of information that is advancing
the time when establishment of on operational
system will be achieved.

INCREASING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR

COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

Tremendous growth in oversea com'munications

demands is expected during the next two dec-
ades. The number of overseas telephone calls
to and from the United States is rising about 15
percent each year. Use of oversea teleprinter
xchange is climbing even more rapidly. De-
and for world-wide television is mounting.
Computers are talking to each other from
coast to coast in growing numbers. As foreign
economies expand, a need is developing for
high-speed transmission of specialized data from
one side of the world to the other and for data
origi nating in numerous oversea locations to be Symbol of modern overlond communications-a micro-
fed into centrally located computer systems for wave tower.
rapid processing and analysis. Existing trans-
ocean radio and cable equipment cannot, for the
most part, su pply such services. quires a vast increase in circuit capacity-an
Radio and cable links currently furnish about increase possible through employment of micro-
600 telephone circuits between the United States wave.
and abroad. Industry estimates that twice this
number will be needed in 1965 and that require- MICROWAVE-COMMUNICATIONS
ments will double again by 1970. By 1980, SUPERHIGHWA Y
about 10,000 circuits may be needed for tele- Microwaves are extremely short, ultra high
phone and a few other services, not including frequency radio signals that can carry at the
telecasts nor high-speed data transfers. speed of light vast quantities of every known
Although short wave radio and undersea cable form of com munication. Moreover, microwa'
ill continue to play an important part in future communication is immune to weather and iono-
ommunication, they alone cannot meet future spheric disturbances that interfere with short wave
needs. Keeping pace with global demand re- radio. Within the continental United States and
NASA FACTS (G-12-62)
Th is shows how a series of microwave towers spaced
about 30 miles apart on land can relay microwaves
around the earth ' s curvature.
A satellite can act as a microwave tower in the sky,
relaying microwave signals across oceons.
many other countries, microwaves are major car-
riers of telephone, television, telegraph, punched
card, magnetic and punched tape, teleprinter,
and facsimile communications .
In effect, microwave is to other electronic
communication methods in use today as a mod-
ern expressway is to a neighborhood street.
However, microwaves, like light, travel in straight
lines-a serious limitation on a round earth.
land, this limitation is overcome by use of
re ay towers spaced about 30 miles apart so that
microwaves can move in a straight line from one
to the next. Admittedly, it is impracticable to
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build a line of microwave towers across the ocean.
But a communications satellite such as Relay
functions as the equivalent of a microwave tower
high in the sky, enabling microwaves to vault
oceans.
THE RELAY SATELLITE
The 172-pound Relay satellite is 33 inches high
and has a maximum breadth of 29 inches. The
18-inch long mast-like structure mounted on its
narrow end is the broadband antenna for carry-
ing out television and other experiments in
broadband communications. The four whip-like
antennas projecting at about 45-degree angles
from the broad end of the satellite are for com-
mand, tracking, and telemetry; that is, they are
part of the systems for turning Relay experiments
on and off, for tracking the satellite, and for ac-
quiring and sending to earth data on component
behavior and on radiation in space.
The satellite's eight sides are encrusted with
a total of 8,215 solar cells. These are photo-
electric cells that absorb sunlight and convert it
to electricity for charging three nickel cadmium
batteries. Relay's power supply is designed to
permit communications experiments aggregating
100 minutes per day without excessive drain on,
and consequent damage to, the batteries.
Relay's orbit passes through zones of intense
radiation including part of the Van Allen Radia-
tion Region. Radiation can damage solar cells,
reducing their ability to convert sunlight into
electricity. Except for some left unprotected for
experimental purposes, all of Relay's solar cells
are shielded against radiation by a thin layer of
quartz.
Relay has two receiving, amplifying, and
transmitting systems (transponders) for communi-
cation experiments and two command systems by
which the transponder can be turned off and on
from the ground. This duplication is one way
of increasing the chances that a spacecraft will
do its job. If a part fails, another is ready to
su bstitute for it .
Relay is designed to handle a single television
broadcast, 12 simultaneous two-way telephone
calls, or their equivalent in data, teletype, and
Page 4 NASA FACTS (G-12-62)

Cutaways showing Relay satellite interior from two angles .

1. BROAD-BAND ANTENNA II. TRACKING, TELEMETRY, AND 20. MICROWAVE BEACONS

26. SUN ASPECT INDICATOR
COMMAND ANTENNA 21. SIGNAL CONDITIONER
2. SOLAR CELLS (Indicates Satell ite Orientation )
12. THERMAL CONTROLLER 22. RADIATION DETECTORS E,F 27. HORIZON SCANNER
3 . TELEMETRY TRANSMlnERS
13. RADIATION DAMAGE PANEL 23 . VOLTAGE REGULATOR (Indicates Satellite Orientotion)
4. BAnERY CHARGE CONTROLLER
24 . TWT POWER SUPPLY 2B. RADIATION DETECTOR A
14 . RADIATION EFFECTS CIRCUITRY
5 . BAnERY BOX 25 . TELEMETRY ENCODER 29. RADIATION SWITCH BOX G
15. COMMAND RECEIVERS
6. CRUCIFORM STRUCTURE
16. BROAD-BAND RECEIVERS
7 . RADIATION DETECTORS B,C,D
17. COMMAND DECODERS
B. COMMAND CONTROL UNIT On August 31,1962, President John F. Kennedy signed
lB . TRAVELING WAVE TUBE the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 authorizing the
9 . RADIATION SWITCH BOX H
(Ampl ifying Device )
creation of a communications satellite corporation. The
10. TORQUE COIL
19. PRECESSION DAMPER bill provided for half of the stock in the new corporation
(Adjusts Orientation)
(Reduces Wobble)
to be made available to the general public and half to
common carriers in the communications field. The bill
also specified that public stockholders will elect six of the
company's directors; the communications companies, six;
and the Government will appoint three directors. The
Technician works on Relay satellite. law gave the Federal Communications Commission broad
powers to regulate rates and services, including alloca-
tion of facilities to insure effective competition.
The Act directed NASA to:
"1) advise the Federal Communications Commission
on technical characteristics of the communications satel-
lite system;
"2) cooperate with the corporation in research and
development to the extent deemed appropriate by the
Administration in the public interest;
"3) assist the corporation in the conduct of its re-
search and development program by furnishing to the
corporation, when requested, on a reimbursable basis
such satellite launching and associated services as the
Administration deems necessary for the most expeditious
and economical development of the communications
satellite system;
"4) consult with the corporation with respect to the
technical characteristics of the communications satellite
system;
"5) furnish to the corporation, on request and on
a reimbursable basis, satellite launching and associated
services reauired for the establishment, operation, and
maintenance of the communications satellite system
approved by the Commission; and
"6) to the extent feasible, furnish other services,
on a reimbursable basis, to the corporation in connection
with the establishment and operation of the system."
NASA FACTS (G-12-62)
other forms of communication. The satellite's
transmitter has an output of 10 watts.
A major part of Relay's equipment is devoted
measuring space phenomena and satellite cir-
t, equipment, and design performance and to
transmitting this information to earth. Among
devices performing these tasks are radiation par-
ticle detectors, circuitry to measure radiation
damage to components, and the telemetry
encoder.
The telemetry encoder is Relay's most compli-
cated unit . It converts information from all the
data-gathering instruments into electronic codes
and flashes these codes to earth over 128 differ-
ent channels at the rate of a channel a second .
The one-pound encoder is made up of 5,186 parts.
RELAY GROUND FACILITIES
Relay ground facilities include stations for
communications experiments; test stations for
checking out the satellite in advance of communi-
cations experiments and turning its transponders
on and off; and the NASA Minitrack network for
tracking and acquiring data from the spacecraft.
The ground stations that conduct experiments
intercontinental and transocean communica-
n are located at : Goonhilly Downs (near
Falmouth), England; Pleumeur-Bodou, Br ittany,
France; Fucino (near Rome), Italy; Rio de Janeiro,
MILESTONES IN SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
January 11, 1946-
Project Diana. Radar signals beamed to moon are
reflected back to earth for first time. (Department of
Defense (DOD) Project)
December 18, 1958-
Score launched. On December 19, this satellite
broadcast to the world a tape-recorded Christmas greet-
ing from President Eisenhower. This was the first voice
message from a satellite. (DOD Project)
August 1 2, 1960-
Echo I launched. Echo I has demonstrated the feas-
ibility of sending voice, record, and facsimile long dis-
tances by bouncing microwaves from a passive satellite.
(NASA Proj ect)
October 4, 1960-
Courier launched. This satellite demonstrated that
"active-repeaters" can be employed for voice, record,
and facsimile communication. (DOD Project)
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Brazil; and, in the United States, at Andover,
Maine; and Holmdel and Nutley, New Jersey.
An example of the specially-designed ground
station required for communications experiments
is the American Telephone and Telegraph Com-
pany fac ility at Andover, Maine. Its principal
feature is a giant horn antenna 1 77 feet long
and 94 feet high . The horn can transmit a
powerful 1 O,OOO -watt signal and can receive and
amplify to useful strength a signal as faint as a
billionth of a watt.
The antenna is housed In a radome 210 feet
in diameter and 160 feet high (about the height
of a 16-story building). The radome is com-
posed of man-made fiber and synthetic rubber
that are transparent to radio signals.
A unique station is the transportable unit near
Rio de Janeiro . The unit can be delivered to
any location that can be reached by sea, air, road,
or rail and can be set up in a day. It can handle
telephone, teletype, and high-speed data transfer
services via the satellite. Later versions may be
modified for television.
Test stations check out the Relay satellite, in-
cluding operation of its communications trans-
ponder, prior to communications experiments.
They set the transponder for the type of trans-
missions scheduled and shut it off when the ex-
periment is concluded. If the satellite is out of
July 10, 1962-
Telstar launched. On July 23, Telstar relayed the first
live telecasts between Europe and the United States. It
has provided high-quality transmissions of voice, data,
television, telegrams, teleprint, and other forms of com-
munications. (Joint project of NASA and American
Telephone and Telegraph Company. The company paid
all costs.)
December 13, 1962-
Relay launched. Aims to provide first satellite com-
munications link between North and South America and
Europe. An active-repeater satellite, like Telstar, Relay
differs from its predecessor in important structural and
technical features. As a result, the functioning of diver-
gent designs can be compared and information acquired
to develop equipment for eventual operational use.
(NASA Project)
Page 6 NASA FACTS (G-12-62)

G iant horn antenna at Andaver , Maine , dwarfs man stand i ng (center ) an one of its supports . This is be ing used
in Relay communications expe riments .

Braz i l i an eng i neers , stonding b e for e 30 -foot ant enna,

confer on Relay e x per i ment s. The antenna is part of a
transportabl e ground station for space communications
experiments set up near Rio de Jane iro .

range of the test station, an automatic timer will

turn the equipment off two minutes after use to
conserve the satellite ' s power supply. The test
stations are located at Nutley, New Jersey, and
Mohave, California.
NASA 's world-wide Minitrack network is track-
ing the Relay satellite and acquiring data on
performance and condition of Relay equipment
and on radiation in space. The stations are lo-
cated at Blossom Point, Maryland; East Grand
Forks, Minnesota; Fort Myers, Florida; College,
Alaska; Mohave, California; St . Johns, New-
foundland; Woomera, Australia; Winkfield, Eng-
Iand; Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa;
Antofagasta and Santiago, Chile; Lima , Peru ; a
NASA FACTS (G-12-62) Page 7
Quito, Ecuador . All stations funnel information
for processing to NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

PRINCIPAL EXPERIMENTS
Planned communications experiments with
Relay include intercontinental transmissions of
television, telephone calls, teleprinter, photo-
facsimile, and data. Arrangements have been
made with commercial broadcasting organizations
of Europe and the United States for public trans-
atlantic telecasts. Public demonstrations involv-
ing other types of communication are also
plan ned .
Detectors within the satellite report the num-
ber and kinds of energetic particles in space.
Such particles are free protons and electrons
stripped from atoms-usually hydrogen atoms .
The particles constitute much of the lethal and
da maging radiation with which man and equip-
ment must cope in space.
Another experiment is intended to determine
the effects of radiation on solar cells and semi-
conductors. Thirty solar cells mounted on the
es of the spacecraft are wired to report on their
dition . These solar cells differ in design and
material and in the amount of protective coating.
Some are unshielded.
Engineers at Cape Canaveral mate Relay satellite ta third
In addition, six diodes are attached to a radi -
stage of its Delta launch vehicle.
ation damage experiment panel where they are
exposed to the maximum radiation encountered
by the satellite. Ordinarily, diodes are enclosed
This orbiting of Relay was the fourteenth con-
in packages within the spacecraft.
secutive success for NASA's Delta launch vehicle.
Delta also launched Echo I, NASA's first com-
munications satellite; Telstar, the joint active-
LAUNCH AND ORBITAL INFORMATION repeater satellite experiment of NASA and the
A Delta vehicle launched a Relay satellite from American Telephone and Telegraph Company;
Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 6:30 p . m., EST, De- TIROS II through VI experimental weather satel-
cember 13, 1962. This satellite's perigee, or litesi the Orbiting Solar ObservatorYi Explorers
closest approach to earth, is about 820 miles; XII, XIV, and XV scientific satellites; and Ariel
apogee, or farthest distance from earth, approx- built by the United States and United Kingdom,
imately 4,612 miles . It is inclined 47.47 degrees the world's first international satellite.
to the equator, enabling it to pass over a ground The three-stage Delta vehicle can orbit satel-
rea extending from 47.47 degrees north latitude lites weighing as much as 800 pounds. It is
I
I
o 47.47 degrees south latitude . Relay com- assigned a major role in future communications,
tes a circuit of earth about every 185 minutes. weather, and scientific satellite experiments .

J
Page 8 NASA FACTS (G-12-62)

Second stage of Delta launch vehicle is hoisted to mate it with first stage on launch pad in background.

NASA FACTS format is designed for bulletin-boord display NASA FACTS will be mailed only to addressees who request
uncut, or for 8 x lOY, looseleaf notebook insertion when it from: Office of Educational Programs and Services, NASA,
cut along dotted lines and folded along solid lines. For 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington 2S , D.C.
notebook ring insertion, punch at solid dots in the margins.

-tl u.s. GOVER NM ENT PRINTI NG OFFICE ; 1963 Of-670374

For so le by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S . Government Printing Office

Washington 25, D. C. -Price 15 cents per copy

NASA
An Educational Services Publication of the
(G-12-62)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Supplement
A REPORT ON THE FIRST RELAY COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE
January 14, 1963
The first Relay satellite, launched December
13, 1962, could not at first function properly
because of an abnormal power drain on its
storage batteries. The problems relative to the
satellite had been partially resolved by January
3, 1963, making possible the beginning of ex-
periments in transatlantic communication.
On Relay's fifth orbit, some 14 hours after
launch, the ground test station at Nutley, New
Jersey, checked the satellite's condition. The
satellite's voltage was indicated at 22.5, which
is below the lower limit of 24 volts required for
operation of the communications equipment with-
out damage to the battery.
The trouble was traced to the voltage reg-
ulator in the No. 1 transponder-the receiving,
amplifying, and transmitting apparatus in Relay.
Relay is equipped with two identical transpond-
ers, each with its own voltage regulator. The
voltage regulator channels power to the trans-
ponder at a proper voltage and acts as an on-off
switch for the transponder.
Telemetry showed that the regulator was con-
ducting power to the transponder even though it
was nominally off. As a result, it was partially
powering the transponder, and draining the
batteries. Extensive tests and analyses indicated
that the main power transistor for the voltage
regulator had temperature characteristics that
could account for the equipment's malfunction.
This transistor fails to function properly if it is
too hot or too cold.
Telemetry taken from the satellite on Decem-
ber 15, 17, and 19 showed a slow charging
of Relay ' s batteries. Tests were suspended on
the possibility that Relay would recover.
On December 31, a check of the satellite re-
vealed that it was functioning satisfactorily ex-
cept for a small power drain by voltage regula-
:;:Lt)
.N 63 I e-r72
FA ( TS
tor No.1. Because of difficulties experienced
with the command system of transponder No.1,
project managers decided to employ the other
transponder. On January 3, 1963, they ac-
tivated transponder No. 2 and carried out a
continuing sequence of transatlantic television,
telephone, and teletype communication tests.
Some difficulty has been encountered with the
command system of the satellite. However,
techniques have been developed for satisfactorily
commanding the equipment.
Encouraged by the success of the tests, NASA,
in cooperation with broadcasting companies of
the United States and Europe, scheduled a pub-
lic telecast via Relay. On January 9, 1963,
Relay carried a television program from the Na-
tional Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to
stations in France and Great Britain. British and
French viewers saw the unveiling of the Mona
Lisa painting in the National Gallery and Presi-
dent Kennedy and others who were present at
the unveiling ceremony. (Leonardo da Vinci's
Mona Lisa was loaned to the United States by
France.) Reception in Europe was excellent.
The television pictures from the gallery were
transmitted conventionally to the Relay ground
station at Andover, Maine, from which they were
beamed to the satellite for retransmittal to
Europe.
A second Relay launch is scheduled in the sec-
ond quarter of 1963.
USE OF THIS SUPPLEMENT
The Information In thl. supplement to NASA FACTS,
Project Relay (G-12-62) Incarparate. data on re.ults
obtained after the fact sheet had been printed.
The supplement has been designed for bulletin board
display along with the fact sheet, or for punching and
looseleaf notebook Insertion as page 9 of NASA fACTS,
Project Relay.
u.s. GOVERNMEN T PA I NT ING OFFI CE : 1963 OF-57!122