Echoes in the Ionosphere

Echoes in the Ionosphere is a piece for string quartet based upon the story of the Syncom 3 satellite which was launched on August 19, 1964. What is remarkable about this satellite is that not only was it the first geostationary communications satellite, however it also helped telecast the 1964 Summer Games internationally for the first time without the need for tapes to be flown overseas. The piece features rhythms based off of morse code and three distinct sections, the launch, the orbit, and the final moments before it was shut off in 1969.