In 1963, the United States launched an extraordinary Cold War experiment into orbit: nearly 480 million microscopic copper needles were released around Earth in an attempt to create an artificial ring that could bounce radio signals across vast distances.
Known as Project West Ford, the experiment was designed to solve a serious military communications problem. During the Cold War, US military planners feared that Soviet forces could disrupt or destroy undersea communication cables that carried long-distance signals between continents.
