In the summer of 1963, the United States successfully put a gigantic ring around the earth. But unlike Saturn, earth’s ring was not made of dust, rock, and ice, but thin hair-like strands of copper wires—half a billion of them.

The wires, or needles, were part of Project West Ford, which was an attempt to strengthen the earth’s ionosphere and provide the United States Military a jam-proof, fail-proof, and destruction-proof communication system.

Clumps of copper needles from Project West Ford still circle the earth. Image credit: stuffin.space