The First Man-Made Signal from Outer Space

This lecture discusses the historic moment when Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite, transmitted the first man-made signal from outer space in 1957. The signal, a sequence of beeps, was detected by amateur radio operators worldwide. The lecture explores the Fourier transform as a tool to analyze the signal's frequency components and explains the relationship between continuous and discrete frequencies. It also delves into the significance of Sputnik's signal in demonstrating the possibility of satellite communications, impacting the Cold War era and leading to the US Apollo program.