Communication satellitesHave you ever thought about how that little phone in your hand works? What about the fact that you always seem to have access to internet and cable? A satellite is a device orbited around the Earth that uses receivers, amplifiers, and transmitters to receive and send signals around the world (“Satellite Communications August 2007”). Satellites provide signals to these and other devices. Satellites orbit the Earth and provide global communications, while collecting valuable data. Many countries and companies are currently competing for valuable satellite orbits. Individuals and countries have pushed each other to improve their space technology by testing and using new and innovative ideas. At the start of the 21st century, satellites were only used for telecommunications, television and radio (“Communications Satellite Aug. 2007”). “The success of the first satellites sparked private sector interest in communications satellites” (“Communications Satellites June 2008”). The first satellites were of extremely rudimentary technology, but the possibilities for using satellites for communications continued to improve. The invention of rocket flight in the mid-1940s was one of the most important steps toward global communications (Palmer 319). “Before 1956, people could only talk to each other across the Atlantic Ocean via transatlantic cables” (“Communications Satellite June 2008”). “By 1956, the first transatlantic cables were in place on the ocean floor, but they were not sufficient to handle the growing volume of telephone calls” (“Communications Satellite August 2007”). In the early 1960s, there were still only about 40 transatlantic communications channels, with little promise ... middle of paper ... data will ensure satellites will still be used. Gale Science in Context. Gale Science In Context, June 1, 2008. Web. February 14, 2014. “Communications Satellite.” Gale Science in Context. Gale Science In Context, August 30, 2007. Web. February 14, 2014. “Communications Satellite Industry.” Gale Science in Context, 2012. Web. February 16, 2014. Marsden, Ann T. “The Evolution of Satellite Communications.” . Science and Its Times. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 7: 1950–Present. Nagel. "Communication Satellites." Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Internet February 17.. 2014.