SPbSU Recreates First Wireless Radio Transmission
Why this is here: Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, a member of the ISS-71 crew, noted that radio communication is essential for space exploration, connecting the historical recreation to modern technology.
Saint Petersburg State University recreated the world’s first radio transmission yesterday. The event commemorated the sending of a radio signal from the Mendeleev Center on March 24, 1896. The original signal traveled roughly 250 meters, but the recent reconstruction was limited to about three meters due to legal restrictions.
The transmission was sent by Pyotr Rybkin, an assistant to Alexander Popov, using a device invented by Popov. Popov himself received the signal in a different university building. The recreated message spelled out “Heinrich Hertz,” honoring the physicist who proved the existence of electromagnetic waves.
The technology quickly proved useful for maritime communication. In 1899, wireless communication aided in the rescue of a grounded battleship.
Early in 1900, it helped save fishermen stranded on an ice floe. Scientists, teachers, students, and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin attended the event.