Page 20 - Communications Satellites Global Change Agents

PREFACE xix

that satellites have already or will soon generate for our increasingly small and in-
terconnected planet.
Our mission has been to recount, probe, explore, analyze, and interpret the
past, present, and future of satellite communications. We have embarked on this
venture with a dollop of historical zeal, a measure of technical insight, and a smat-
tering of social and political insight. On occasion there have been attempts at
touches of whimsy, irony, and even old-fashioned humor. To make this book as
readable as possible, we have avoided footnoting. Instead at the end of each chap-
ter, we provide a listing of references for those who wish to pursue their studies of
the field. When particularly needed, brief authors' notes are provided along with
the text.
We hope the reader finds this analytical and interpretative story of satellite
communications—past, present, and future—to be interesting and insightful.

REFERENCE

McLuhan, Marshall, (1966), Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, New York: Signet Books.

—Joseph N. Pelton, The George Washington University
Robert J. Oslund, The George Washington University
Peter Marshall, Communications Consultant