An Application of Aerospace Technology and Systems to Commercial Aviation

During the Fifth Space Congress, I discussed the upcoming Information Explosion era, in which satellite systems would provide communications, navigation, weather prediction, information search and retrieval, and air traffic control. Compared to sending men to the moon, the use of satellites for this purpose is an example of applying aerospace technology, separately and distinctively, to existing problems. In solving these problems, we are compounding a more traditional problem: the addition of more equipments to the user vehicle for each Information Function added. This was a common practice in the Ground Space/Satellite Communications field until the Air Force recognized the need for the Space Ground Link Subsystem (SGLS), and integrated Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) communication system. Although the integrated information system was recognized for the ground, spacecraft vehicles still do not have integrated TT&C systems