It likely has a weak one or two. (I am soo funny... too me :( )
I watched a bit of a special that mentioned it had tubes? Is that true? They had transistors then, so, I think not or mabe just one tube for some sensitive application? Was that device nuclear powered? How else could it hold power so long?
Maybe nuclear is the wrong term. I saw an episode of a show I love: "I've Got A Secret" inwhich a man brought a basketball size round thing that he operated to power a lightbulb and he claimed it would do so for like 8 years? I think it had plutonium? It had something I expect is dangerous and could mess up reproductive matters at the very least. I thought I can't believe people are allowed close to it. I hope he never had kids after that.
What happened to Telstar? I think they said it operated until recently. I guess it just drifted into space? I hope aliens do not find it and steal more of our secrets!

The "Starfish" high altitude blast placed high energy radioactive particles in the area of space where the satellite operated. When Telstar was launched a day later, these particles and radiation made the satellite malfunction. The electronics began to decay from the radiation to the point where the satellite was unusable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar

It was solar powered, as you may have read from the Wikipedia article.

The traveling wave tube remains the best available wideband microwave amplifier,
although the bands used by Telstar (4-6 GHz) could easily be covered with modern
SS devices. Some recent Moon survey missions used fairly high speed data links
with TWT microwave transmitters:

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/RT/2007/Comm/04-RCE-force.html

My friend John Pierce was the father of TELSTAR other friends helped develop and built it... yes I have parts of TELSTAR project but alas not the TWT!

Alas ll my friends involved with this project have passed on...

See what we have below at the link.

I love playing with the Bell Solar Batteries.....

To learn some more... see the museums section at..... http://www.smecc.org/telstar_photo_album.htm

Keep an eye out fro early TV studio equipment for the museum... we are buying this month! Ed Sharpe Archivist for SMECC

John Pierce / ECHO The Gaint Mylar Baloon! here is Johns article at the museum.

http://www.smecc.org/john_pierce___echoredo.htm

Keep an eye out for early TV studio equipment for the museum... we are buying this month! Ed Sharpe Archivist for SMECC