Editing Satellite (section)

=== Early proposals ===
The first published mathematical study of the possibility of an artificial satellite was [[Newton's cannonball]], a thought experiment by [[Isaac Newton]] to explain the motion of [[natural satellite]]s, in his ''[[Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica]]'' (1687). The first fictional depiction of a satellite being launched into orbit was a [[short story]] by [[Edward Everett Hale]], "[[The Brick Moon]]" (1869).<ref>{{cite web |title=Rockets in Science Fiction (Late 19th Century) |url=http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/rocketry/tl4.html |publisher=[[Marshall Space Flight Center]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000901224414/http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/rocketry/tl4.html |archive-date=1 September 2000 |access-date=21 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Science-fiction, the Early Years |url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionea0000blei |url-access=registration |first1=Everett Franklin |last1=Bleiler |first2=Richard |last2=Bleiler |page=[https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionea0000blei/page/325 325] |isbn=978-0-87338-416-2 |publisher=[[Kent State University Press]] |year=1991}}</ref> The idea surfaced again in [[Jules Verne]]'s ''[[The Begum's Fortune]]'' (1879).

In 1903, [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]] (1857–1935) published ''Exploring Space Using Jet Propulsion Devices'', which was the first academic treatise on the use of rocketry to launch spacecraft. He calculated the [[orbital speed]] required for a minimal orbit, and inferred that a [[multi-stage rocket]] fueled by liquid [[propellant]]s could achieve this.

[[Herman Potočnik]] explored the idea of using orbiting spacecraft for detailed peaceful and military observation of the ground in his 1928 book, ''The Problem of Space Travel''. He described how the special conditions of space could be useful for scientific experiments. The book described [[geostationary]] satellites (first put forward by [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]]) and discussed the communication between them and the ground using radio, but fell short with the idea of using satellites for mass broadcasting and as telecommunications relays.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 September 2016 |title=Introduction to satellite |url=http://www.sasmac.cn/portal/html/fc4f335929b0df0d0129b0e348f90003/_content/10_07/09/1278668367217.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916064537/http://www.sasmac.cn/portal/html/fc4f335929b0df0d0129b0e348f90003/_content/10_07/09/1278668367217.html |archive-date=16 September 2016 |access-date=25 May 2022 |website=www.sasmac.cn}}</ref>

In a 1945 ''[[Wireless World]]'' article, English science fiction writer [[Arthur C. Clarke]] described in detail the possible use of [[communications satellite]]s for mass communications. He suggested that three geostationary satellites would provide coverage over the entire planet.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Pratt |first1=Timothy |url= |title=Satellite Communications |last2=Allnutt |first2=Jeremy E. |year=2019 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons Ltd]] |isbn=978-1-119-48217-8 |edition=3rd |oclc=1098222848}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=1–2}}

In May 1946, the [[United States Air Force]]'s [[Project RAND]] released the [[Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Spaceship]], which stated "A satellite vehicle with appropriate instrumentation can be expected to be one of the most potent scientific tools of the Twentieth Century."<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/special_memoranda/SM11827/ |title=Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Spaceship |journal=[[RAND]] |date=July 1946 |access-date=6 March 2008 |archive-date=15 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615024409/http://rand.org/pubs/special_memoranda/SM11827/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The United States had been considering launching orbital satellites since 1945 under the [[Bureau of Aeronautics]] of the [[United States Navy]]. Project RAND eventually released the report, but considered the satellite to be a tool for science, politics, and propaganda, rather than a potential military weapon.<ref>{{cite book |title=Venture into Space: Early Years of Goddard Space Flight Center |first=Alfred |last=Rosenthal |publisher=NASA |year=1968 |page=15}}</ref>

In 1946, American theoretical astrophysicist [[Lyman Spitzer]] proposed an orbiting [[space telescope]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hubble Essentials: About Lyman Spitzer, Jr. |publisher=Hubble Site |url=http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/lyman_spitzer.php |access-date=16 October 2020 |archive-date=9 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009202238/http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/lyman_spitzer.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 1954, Project RAND released "Scientific Uses for a Satellite Vehicle", by R. R. Carhart.<ref>R. R. Carhart, Scientific Uses for a Satellite Vehicle, Project RAND Research Memorandum. (Rand Corporation, Santa Monica) 12 February 1954.</ref> This expanded on potential scientific uses for satellite vehicles and was followed in June 1955 with "The Scientific Use of an Artificial Satellite", by H. K. Kallmann and W. W. Kellogg.<ref>H. K. Kallmann and W. W. Kellogg, Scientific Use of an Artificial Satellite, Project RAND Research Memorandum. (Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, California) 8 June 1955.</ref>