A satellite is an object that is in orbit around an object in space of a larger size. Things such as the Earth's Moon or Pluto's Charon are natural satellites. Humans have also created artificial satellites—human-made machines and spacecraft in orbit around our Earth or other objects in our galaxy. These types of satellites have fundamentally changed humanity—such as connecting us with people across the globe or sending us important scientific information about far away planets.

Image taken on April 1, 1960 by TIROS 1. This was the first television picture of Earth from space.

A satellite is an object that is in orbit around an object in space of a larger size. Things such as the Earth's Moon or Pluto's Charon are natural satellites. Humans have also created artificial satellites—human-made machines and spacecraft in orbit around our Earth or other objects in our galaxy. These types of satellites have fundamentally changed humanity—such as connecting us with people across the globe or sending us important scientific information about far away planets.

Image taken on April 1, 1960 by TIROS 1. This was the first television picture of Earth from space.

Stories

AirSpace Revisited: Journey to the Past AirSpace Season 9 Bonus! Voting from a Station Far Far Away
On Elephants and Dirt: Conserving an Elephant Tracking Collar AirSpace Season 8, Ep. 8: An Eye from Above Exploring the Universe in our Collections

Exhibitions

Learn more Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Learn more One World Connected National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

Learning Resources

My Path: From Intern to Astrophysicist, Dr. Kelly Korreck Solar Physicist Dr. Kelly Korreck tells the story of her career from a young University of Michigan undergraduate student to being a Solar Physicist for the NASA Parker Solar Probe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9dg3HU7hs0 Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9 Astronomy, Behind the scenes, People, Satellites, Stars, Sun, Technology and Engineering, Telescopes, Women

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What’s New in Aerospace: On Life In Space: "You See All Sorts of Crazy Things" (Kathy Sullivan) Former astronaut and recent administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan shared the importance of satellite technologies in looking at Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ORAHjHrebY&feature=youtu.be Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Grades 13-14, Grades 15-16, Grades 17-20 Satellites, Human spaceflight

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Flights of Fancy Story Time: "Shhh! Satellites" Earth is trying to sleep but the Satellites keep bothering Earth with noisy signals. They are talking in all different languages and sending all kinds of information. https://youtu.be/idL6HgUInlY Grade PK, Grade 1, Grade K, Grade 2, Grade 3 Moon (Earth), Satellites, Spaceflight

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My Path: From Intern to Astrophysicist; Dr. Kelly Korreck Solar Physicist Dr. Kelly Korreck tells the story of her career from a young University of Michigan undergraduate student to being a Solar Physicist for the NASA Parker Solar Probe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9dg3HU7hs0 Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9 Astronomy, Behind the scenes, People, Satellites, Spaceflight, Stars, Sun, Technology and Engineering, Telescopes, Women

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What’s New in Aerospace: Science on Station TJ Creamer and NanoRacks project manager Brock Howe, and Sarah Quasny from NASA program integration to talk about how science is conducted on the station. https://youtu.be/WAy2i2RcVJo Grade 3, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 4, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Grades 13-14, Grades 15-16, Grades 17-20 Satellites, Science, Space stations, Technology and Engineering, Spaceflight

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What’s New in Aerospace: From Hurricanes to Your Street Corner: Photography from Space (Jim David) So what exactly can be be captured from space and how is satellite imagery being used today? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-hjlJ4z_w4 Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 6, Grade 5, Grades 17-20, Grades 15-16, Grades 13-14, Grade 12, Grade 11, Grade 10, Grade 9, Grade 8, Grade 7 Satellites

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Publications

Learn more Weather from Above: America's Meteorological Satellites Learn more Eye in the Sky: The Story of the CORONA Spy Satellites