What is a Space Satellite? Could it Be Among the Causes of Global Warming?

Most people who have even a slight interest in the subject of space exploration have asked, "What is a space satellite?" They usually think in terms of the highly sophisticated electronic equipment that approximately forty nations have sent and continue to send into the "final frontier." However, there are natural satellites. Of course, they aren't computerized equipment that transmit data back to Earth, but they do meet the strict definition of a satellite--an object which orbits a planet. Earth's moon, therefore, is an example of a natural satellite.

The Artificial Satellites

What is a space satellite when speaking of artificial or man-made objects? It is a manufactured, computerized piece of equipment that is deliberately launched from Earth into space to orbit this planet or other celestial bodies. Sputnik 1, launched in 1957 by the Soviet Union, was the first artificial satellite. The United States would soon follow with the launch of Satellite 1958 Alpha, better known as Explorer I, on January 31, 1958. The late Dr. James Van Allen who was an astrophysicist, is credited by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the, "principal investigator for scientific investigations on 24 Earth satellites and planetary missions, beginning with the first successful American satellite, Explorer I." Discovery of the Van Allen Belts of radiation were made through Explorer I and confirmed through another U.S. satellite launch March 26, 1958, Explorer III. Such a discovery figures among those that are considered exceptional for the International Geophysical Year. Most of these man-made objects orbit Earth in a circular or elliptical (egg-shaped) fashion. They can orbit at low, medium, and high altitudes and are launched for a variety of purposes.

There are artificial satellites that are used for scientific research, communications here on Earth, military purposes, navigation of aircraft and ships, tracking and studying the weather, observing Earth from space, as well as for other reasons. The purpose for which a satellite is launched determines the characteristics of its orbit. An artificial satellite is usually also artificially intelligent and behaves like a robot. It controls its antennas to receive information from Earth; it points its solar panels towards the sun, and even collects information on its own. Such operations are made possible by programming the device to behave in a desired way.

Fans of the popular American classic science fiction television series, Star Trek, undoubtedly, remember an episode entitled, "The Changeling," in which a robot called Nomad was launched into space with a mission to explore the galaxy. Nomad's programming became corrupt in space after a collision with another probe, and in a failed attempt to repair itself, it ended up with a new and twisted mission: find and sterilize imperfection. This new mission, in plain language, was a program to Nomad to kill all living things. It's just science fiction--or is it? Some of the seemingly impossible feats seen in the movies are no longer science fiction; they are now science fact.

What Happened to Ancient Knowledge?

If the people who lived in ancient times could raise up from the dead, they would not only ask, "What is a space satellite?," they would also wonder why they are being used for some things such as studying the weather and the navigation of ships. The ancients predicted the weather and sailed the seven seas without any of the equipment available today. The biblical passages of Jeremiah 10:13, Job 36:27-29, Psalm 135:7, Ecclesiastes 1:7, and Isaiah 55:10 are flawless in their teachings on the subject of hydrology, electrical discharges (lightening), the circulation of water, precipitation, and the evaporation of water. They are in perfect agreement with meteorology and other sciences that weren't yet "invented."

Could Artificial Satellites Be One of the Causes of Global Warming?

The article, "Artificial Satellites," by NASA, says that there are now approximately 3,000 artificial satellites and 6,000 pieces of space junk orbiting planet Earth. Understandably, some analytical people are questioning the dangers that might be lurking with this situation. Man's history of interfering with nature is a very dark one. According to the article, "Welcome to Global Warming and Microwaves," antennas on satellites and bases on Earth are transmitting microwave frequencies throughout the planet. The vacuum of space insulates the waves causing them to travel at greater speeds through Earth's electromagnetic field and into an abundant substance here on the planet--water. Are these heat waves melting the polar ice caps? These statements have not been declared scientific, so some do not place satellites among the causes of global warming. Others believe that all changes that the modern world has implemented should be considered. After all, the ancient world didn't face the threats we face today such as space junk.