Fact #184
Strange but true
The US Army bounced radar off the Moon in January 1946 and got an echo back 2.5 seconds later, and radio amateurs have been holding conversations the same way ever since.
Project Diana was the first proof that a signal could get through the ionosphere and back, which is the whole basis of space communication. Amateurs call it moonbounce or EME: aim a big antenna at the Moon, and anyone else who can see the Moon at that moment can hear you. The path loss is brutal and the delay is unmistakable.
Source: US Army Signal Corps, Project Diana, 10 January 1946 · checked Sep 2026