During the height of the Cold War, tensions were high between the USA and Russia. The threat of catastrophic Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles was very real, and the USA’s main strategy for defense was Mutually Assured Destruction. The rationale was that if the Russians hit the US, that they’d be hit in exchange, and that essentially it would be suicidal for Russia to attack first.
Enter the need for the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. Major major technological advancement for the time. To test the technology, the US used land that they had leased from the Trinidad and Tobago government (displacing my family, and many others, but that’s another chapter in local history). The tests were successful and the radar network became operational in the 1960s.
On August 8th, 1960, another first.
The first intercontinental voice message relayed via satellite was transmitted from the Missile Tracking Station at Macqueripe, Trinidad and received at Floyd Air Force base, New York. The very first. The pre-cursor technology that led to cell phones, the internet, satellite radio, GPS. It all started right here, in Trinidad.
My name is John Roxborough. Can you email me at jroxboro@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteVery interesting history
ReplyDeletethis cannot be true
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/about/project-echo_prt.htm
It is very good to know that type of information.
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ReplyDeleteHi good afternoon, trying to get some background information and photos if possible for the newspaper I work for.
ReplyDeleteMy email address is ssuperville@newsday.co.tt.
If interested feel free to email me