# Eyes in the Sky (DD-255)

> Since Sputnik 1 in October 1957 the number of satellites has grown to almost 13,000 by mid-2025. GPS shows how much policy shaped the technology: it was opened to civilians after the loss of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 and only became fully accurate for them in 2000, while relativity has to be corrected for in every satellite clock.

- Department: Space (also Tech)
- First published: 2024-06-21
- Last updated: 2024-06-21
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/eyes-in-the-sky/
- Original Reel title: Eyes In The Sky 🛰
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **1957**: Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, launches

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=eyes-in-the-sky

## Quick facts

- **DD-255-F01**: Satellites relay TV and phone signals. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (A crowded sky))_
- **DD-255-F02**: Navigation satellites enable GPS. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (A crowded sky))_

## Write-up

Satellite navigation became a civilian tool because of a Cold War tragedy and a presidential order, and the crowded orbits it relies on are now a hazard of their own.

1. **A crowded sky**: As of June 28, 2025, 12,952 satellites were orbiting Earth, including 8,530 belonging to the United States, 1,559 to Russia and 908 to China.
2. **Opened to civilians**: After Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down when it strayed into Soviet airspace, President Reagan made GPS available for civilian use, as of 1988.
3. **Deliberately blurred**: Civilian GPS was degraded to about 100 m accuracy by Selective Availability until President Clinton ordered it turned off on May 1, 2000, after which accuracy improved to about 5 m.
4. **Einstein in your phone**: Relativity predicts that GPS satellite clocks run 38 microseconds a day faster than clocks on Earth, an offset the system must account for.
5. **Debris risk**: The growing number of satellites and pieces of space debris has made collisions an increasingly serious threat, so dead satellites are deorbited or moved to graveyard orbits.

## Related case files

- [Earth (DD-131)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/earth/): I linked the planet they watch
- [Keep Looking, What Do You See? (DD-256)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/keep-looking-what-do-you-see/): I linked more spaceflight, on Hubble
- [Not the Space Force (DD-259)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/not-the-space-force/): I linked more spaceflight, on satellites
- [Type I (DD-263)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/type-i/): I linked more on what we already do in space
- [Starlink (DD-529)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/starlink/): I linked more satellites

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

## Video: Eyes in the Sky: Satellites Carry TV, Internet and Phone Signals

- Duration: 32.4 s · Published: 2024-06-21
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/C8fmrQ6KIyY.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? Satellites are essential to modern life. Orbiting Earth and providing crucial services, they enable global communications, delivering TV, internet, and phone signals worldwide. Satellites also play a key role in navigation systems like GPS, helping us find our way. In weather forecasting, satellites monitor climate patterns and track storms, keeping us informed and safe. Additionally, they assist in scientific research, studying everything from space weather to environmental changes on Earth. Whether for communication, navigation, weather monitoring, or research, satellites are vital tools that connect and protect our world. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What do communications satellites relay?**  
A: Worldwide. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A crowded sky) · Wikipedia: Satellite)_

**Q: Which system helps us navigate?**  
A: Satellite-based. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Einstein in your phone) · Wikipedia: Global Positioning System)_

**Q: What do weather satellites track?**  
A: And clouds. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A crowded sky) · Wikipedia: Satellite)_

**Q: What was the first artificial satellite?**  
A: 1957. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Einstein in your phone) · Wikipedia: Satellite)_

**Q: What else do satellites study?**  
A: Science. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A crowded sky) · Wikipedia: Satellite)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Satellite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite)
- [Wikipedia: Global Positioning System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Eyes in the Sky." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-255, last updated Jun 21, 2024. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/eyes-in-the-sky/