| 30th of June 2017 |
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| 50th Anniversary of the "Our World" Broadcast |
| by John Sarkissian (CASS) |
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This week marked the 50th anniversary of the historic “Our
World” broadcast. It was viewed live in 31 countries with an estimated
audience of 400 million, a record number at the time. Broadcasters
from 14 countries were involved, all connected through a global
network of four communications satellites – the first international
satellite programme. The broadcast ended with three memorable
segments; the Beatles recording "All You Need Is Love", at the Abbey
Road Studios, London, followed by a cross to the Apollo 4 launch
preparations at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida (for the first ever
launch of a Saturn V in November 1967). The grand finale to the entire
broadcast showcased the CSIRO Parkes Telescope with the Observatory
Director, John Bolton, observing the Quasar 0237-23 (which at the time
was the most distant object known). The image above shows John Bolton
monitoring the chart recorder while, in the background, Dennis Gill
operated the telescope (image credit: CSIRO).
More information, and video of the Parkes segment of the broadcast, are available. |