A passive communications space array

An array of about 80,000 metal spheres uniformly spaced along a sectionalized wire aligned vertically by the earth's gravity gradient is potentially useful as a communication satellite for 8 GHz. The beam returned to earth is a thin-walled hollow cone that illuminates a narrow stripe on the earth. The resulting communication channel provides considerable privacy and is highly resistant to jamming. It is therefore potentially valuable for national defense applications. An aircraft-to-aircraft link with a capacity above 3 kb/s is described. Such a satellite contains no station-keeping equipment or active elements; therefore it is relatively inexpensive and very reliable. Long life, freedom from intermodulation, and great resistance to physical attack are other desirable features. Launch, deployment, and orbital considerations have been extensively analyzed, and a mechanical design suitable for a feasibility demonstration launch has been completed.