00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1962, the communications satellite Telstar 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida
00:09on a mission to beam live television from Europe to the United States.
00:12This was the first privately sponsored spacefaring mission.
00:16Two days after the launch, Telstar 1 transmitted the world's first transatlantic television signal.
00:21This demonstrated that transmitting information via satellite was feasible.
00:25Telstar 1 transmitted images of President John F. Kennedy, singer Yves Montand from France,
00:30sporting events, Mount Rushmore, and an American flag waving.
00:34The satellite was only operational until November of 1962.
00:38In its four months of operation, it assisted over 400 telephone, fax, telegraph, and television transmissions.
00:45And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:48NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
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