Living in the satellite age

The Space Age dawned in 1944 when Germany's V-2 rocket reached the edge of the atmosphere.

The following year, Arthur C. Clarke envisaged a string of satellites orbiting Earth, allowing television broadcasts and telephone calls to be bounced around the world.

Within 20 years the dream became reality, bringing the whole world's information, entertainment and communication within our reach - the global village. Telecommunications - along wires or through the airwaves - eliminated the barriers of time and distance in communication.

These technologies have progressively transformed our lives, changing the ways in which we live, work and play. But to benefit from each new technology, we've needed to adapt.