ABSTRACT
In 1963, military scientists decided to try to fix the problem by launching 480 million tiny copper needles into orbit around the Earth. The scientists hoped that the needles would create a ring that would circle the entire globe. The first launch of the needles was unsuccessful, but on May 9, 1963, the second launch worked perfectly. The military sent a 40-pound package of copper needles in to space. The needles were densely packed in a block of naphthalene gel that would evaporate in space. Scientists believed if they sent up a cloud that was full of more needles, then they could make the project successful. But the idea of a manmade cloud of copper needles worried other scientists. The needles that had been sent to outer space were designed to slowly fall back to Earth after a few years.
