Word: orbiteer
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...will not be reflected efficiently, and even if the wire belt causes some unexpected kind of trouble for radio astronomers, it will not last forever. The almost invisible wires are strongly affected by the pressure of sunlight. In five years or less, they will be pushed out of their orbit and will burn like junior meteors in the atmosphere...
Spreading Sausage. The astronomers relaxed, but not for long. Last week, after issuing soothing releases, M.I.T.'s Lincoln Lab announced that Project West Ford was blasting off once more. A redesigned dispenser climbed into a polar orbit riding piggyback on a secret Air Force satellite. Lincoln Lab scientists followed its course, and when they were sure it was in the proper orbit, they sent a signal that released a powerful spring...
Four hundred million copper wires are now circling the globe in a polar orbit at an altitude of 2300 miles. These "needles" are part of Project West Ford which began in 1958 when it was first suggested by Mr. Walter E. Morrow of M.I.T.'s Lincoln Labs. Morrow planned to place a belt of copper wires above the earth in order to provide a jam-proof, fail-proof, destruction-proof communication system...
...October, 1961, the first attempt to orbit the copper particles was made. However, the package designed to disperse the copper "needles" into the required belt failed to operate properly and all the Air Force got for its money were four or five useless clumps of wire floating around the earth. But two weeks ago Lincoln Labs was given its second chance, and seems to have succeeded. The dispenser package was mounted piggyback on another Air Force satellite and launched into orbit...
After careful checking to be sure the "needles" package was in proper orbit, radio command was sent to the satellite, activating its dispensing mechanism. Within a day, 50 pounds of copper wire were strewn in a large cloud about the dispenser. As time passes, this cloud will disperse evenly to form a orbiting belt of "needles" roughly five miles wide and 25 miles thick. At present the belt is about 11,500 miles long, and is spreading around the globe at the rate of 1000 miles...