Working Over Time

"Eyes in the Sky" - Physicists and Satellites in the 1950s-70s.

Episode Summary

For the past 60 years, following the trail blazed by Sputnik, we’ve put thousands of satellites into orbit, looping sentinels that serve critical functions in modern society, transmitting TV and radio signals, tracking the weather, and providing communications and positioning channels that serve a range of military and civilian needs. In this episode, we talk about one such technology, which has transformed everyday life for the 4billion people – nearly half the globe’s population - who use smartphones. That’s the GPS tracking feature which means most of us couldn’t get lost, even if we wanted to; and which is making good old paper maps (the ones you never could fold right anyway) increasingly obsolete. Join Karen as she speaks with guest Richard Easton, who brings a unique viewpoint on the roots of this innovation, having grown up as the son of a Naval Research Laboratories physicist who led the charge in developing America’s first satellites in the 1950s, in the Silicon Valley of its time. So - get those white jackets on, we’re headed to the lab! (recorded over zoom) Follow today's guest on social media: @RDEIL Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/workingovertime

Episode Notes

For the past 60 years, following the trail blazed by Sputnik, we’ve put thousands of satellites into orbit, looping sentinels that serve critical functions in modern society, transmitting TV and radio signals, tracking the weather, and providing communications and positioning channels that serve a range of military and civilian needs. In this episode, we talk about one such technology, which has transformed everyday life for the 4billion people – nearly half the globe’s population - who use smartphones. That’s the GPS tracking feature which means most of us couldn’t get lost, even if we wanted to; and which is making good old paper maps (the ones you never could fold right anyway) increasingly obsolete. Join Karen as she speaks with guest Richard Easton, who brings a unique viewpoint on the roots of this innovation, having grown up as the son of a Naval Research Laboratories physicist who led the charge in developing America’s first satellites in the 1950s, in the Silicon Valley of its time. So - get those white jackets on, we’re headed to the lab! (recorded over zoom)

Follow today's guest on social media: @RDEIL

Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/workingovertime