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Spinoff story
Echo's Legacy
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
The Echo 1 Satellite is simply a very large balloon, the diameter of a 10 story building. Metallized Products, Inc. developed a special material for NASA used for the balloons's skin. For bouncing signals material had to be reflective, lightweight, and thin enough to be folded into a beach ball size canister for delivery into orbit, where it would automatically inflate. Material selected was mylar polyester, with a reflective layer of tiny aluminum particles so fine that Echo's skin had a thickness half that of cellophane on a cigarette package.