President Eisenhower’s Dark Christmas Card

Launched on December 18, 1958, a little over a year after the Soviet Union stunned the world with the launch of Sputnik, Project SCORE used an Atlas rocket as the basis for the world’s first communication satellite. SCORE was the culmination of six months of intense work by ARPA and was designed with two clear goals-first to show that the United States had the technical capability to put a rocket in orbit and second to show that a space-based satellite could transmit a message from distant ground-based locations via the upper atmosphere. SCORE stood for Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment and delivered a very simple Christmas message from President Eisenhower, making it the first human voice message transmitted from space:

This is the President of the United States speaking. Through the marvels of scientific advance, my voice is coming to you from a satellite circling in outer space. My message is a simple one:Through this unique means I convey to you and to all mankind, America’s wish for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men everywhere.

Eisenhower’s message had a darker purpose-it signaled to the Soviet Union that the United States had the capability to put a missile in space as much as telecommunications systems. Merry Christmas, indeed!