Electronics: The Room-Size World

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Besieged by Noise. Some prophets however, see no near-future Utopia brought to reality by Early Bird and its progeny. "I doubt if more food will be grown in India," says RAND Corp Sociologist Joseph Goldsen, "even if every village gets a television set with lecturers teaching new agricultural techniques every hour. It takes generations to change customs and traditions. Only a few years ago, we used to pipe-dream about a TV-satellite system that was ten to 20 years away. It doesn't seem that far off any more, but what will it be used to transmit? Perhaps Russia and the U.S. will each use its satellites for psychological walfare—which would be nothing more than they are doing now with short-wave broadcasts. One thing I'm sure of, the world will be besieged with more and more noise."

At present the U.S. may be the only nation that has the technical resources to set up an effective world-communications system, but the Russians are not far behind. On April 23 they launched their first attempt, which has apparently gone into a twelve-hour orbit that will keep it over the Soviet land mass for a considerable time during each revolution. Two or three satellites would pro vide the U.S.S.R. with communications day and night. This may be all that the Russians are planning, but a powerful satellite sending strong, clear radio propaganda mixed with entertainment to the transistor radios that swarm in every country would be a powerful and potentially dangerous influence. The J.S. could set up the same sort of system, of course, and so could other countries.

Possibilities of Trouble. Probably several will. There may soon come a time when hostile or pirate satellites will creep close to legitimate ones and try to kidnap their listeners. Jamming of programs may be tried, just as the Soviets now jam Voice of America broadcasts Another trick that has been suggested is to learn the frequency and code of a satellite's station-keeping system and send it commands that will make it shove itself out of orbit.

Even if such hostilities never materialize, there will be economic struggles to control the satellites, which are the first space ventures with a big money-making potential. As more and more countries get into the act, so many satellites may be sent into orbit that they could overcrowd the airwaves, making communication difficult or impossible.

The possibilities for trouble are very real; they call for space laws that will be obeyed by all nations. The hope is that the benefits bestowed by satellites will be so great that even the most hostile countries will find it to their advantage to cooperate in harnessing the great communications explosion.