XPost: sci.space.moderated, sci.space.station, sci.space.tech   
   From: ken123@xtra.co.nz   
      
   "Norris Watkins"  wrote in message   
   news:a4c8fc50.0312071137.553490fc@posting.google.com...   
   > Hello:   
   > 1. When you make an international phone call - say from NY to China -   
   > how does the voice data travel ? Does it have to be send to the   
   > satellite and then received at teh ground, some distance away, then   
   > sent to another satellite till it reaches the destination country. ? I   
   > mean is there any direct satellite to satellite communication. Or is   
   > it always bouncing between teh satellite and the ground at an angle.   
   >   
   > 2. Is this true for international television programming too ? I know   
   > there are live television from Arab countries, Japan etc, in US.   
   >   
   > Thanks   
   > --sony   
      
   The satellites in question are at an orbit 35,000km above the earth and can   
   'see' a large portion of the Earth's surface. Two ground stations on   
   separate continents can both see the same satellite if it is correctly   
   located, and so they can pass a call between them. Hence USA-Europe,   
   USA-Asia and so forth is possible in one 'hop'. Satellite to satellite can   
   be done, as in the Iridium system, but I don't know of any other system   
   off-hand which is commercial and made it to service. There's generally not   
   actually a need.   
      
   Ken   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)