Along the way, we hope you have noticed some important guideposts—things like Newton’s law of gravitation, the law of reflection of light, the Stefan-Boltzmann law. They typify the basic principles of physics that engineers and scientists, whatever they do, must always keep in mind. No matter how exotic or up-to-the-minute the application, the ground rules of physics must be followed. If we have convinced you of this, we have done what we set out to do!
Suggested Reading
If you would like to read further about satellite communications in general or get some information about the case histories in Part II, you may be interested in using the following reading list. The references under each of the subheadings are listed chronologically; they include books, reports, technical papers, and magazine articles. As you can see, some of these ought to be understandable by almost anyone, but others are quite technical in nature.
For further background in the basic physical principles that are discussed in Part II, you may refer to many good high school and college physics texts. An increasing number of useful physics books—both originals and reprints—are now being published in paperback form.
Satellite Communications
Arthur C. Clarke, “Extra-Terrestrial Relays—Can Rocket Stations Give World-Wide Radio Coverage?,” Wireless World, October 1945, page 305.
John R. Pierce, “Orbital Radio Relays,” Jet Propulsion, April 1955, page 153.
John R. Pierce and Rudolf Kompfner, “Transoceanic Communication by Means of Satellites,” Proceedings of the I.R.E., March 1959, page 372.
John R. Pierce, “Exotic Radio Communications,” Bell Laboratories Record, September 1959, page 323.
Steven M. Spencer, “Dial ‘S’ for Satellite,” The Saturday Evening Post, January 14, 1960, page 13.