FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0908.PDF
8 FLIGHT, 6 July 1961 The symposium wos opened on June 26 by the President of the British interplanetary Society, Dr W. R. Maxwell (far right). Chairman of the first technical session was Dr Theodore von Karman "Flight" photographs Missiles and Spaceflight. . . research and space technology is to join together with other like- minded countries in a space consortium. (2) Enter Space Alone. Some European countries may feel that an active space programme is so important to their power and prestige in the world that they must run their own programmes. To any of the major European countries this course has a strong super- ficial appeal, especially for France and the UK, who might hope to pick up junior partners from within their own national families. Even for the larger European countries the cost of a minimum space programme, measured in terms of national resources and balanced against alternative demands upon those national resources, would be very substantial. 1 would not argue that the cost would be intolerable. If the peoples of our countries were so minded the cost of a modest, but still significant, space programme costing up to £25m a year would be perfectly containable within our gross national product. However, such programmes could only be modest, compared with the Russian and American programmes. The major political problem would be one of persuading the political leaders of the countries concerned to have the courage to spend a substantial sum of public money—small though it would be compared with the major items of public expenditure, such as defence and education—on a space programme rather than on something else of more immediate and popular appeal. Further, they would have to justify their decision to their own electorate. Higher pensions or lower taxes will normally be more appealing to the people than Moon probes or Earth satellites. Furthermore there would always be those scientists and econo- mists who would argue, probably with some truth, that an undue proportion of the country's scientific and technological resources were being tied up in its space programme and that as a result other important fields of research were being starved of resources. The positive advantages to any major European country of joining a co-operative venture with other countries rather than carrying out its own space programme can therefore be summarized as follows:— (a) The cost would be shared and therefore would be less per capitaand hence more acceptable to the electorate. (b) Scientific and technological resources, especially of trained man-power, would be pooled, so that no one country would have to risk denuding other important scientific projects because of thedemands of her space programme. (r) No country has a monopoly of scientific and technological talent.The cross-fertilization of ideas that would arise from bringing together space scientists and space technologists from a numberof European countries in a joint venture should lead to better results than if these countries supported separate programmes. (d) Politically, it would help to unite Europe. If members of theEuropean Economic Community and the European Free Trade Association were to join a European space consortium, theresulting experience of partnership would help to build that bridge between the Six and the Seven which many in Europe haveconsistently sought. (e) By Europe entering as one unit, and not as a number of smallerunits, the chances of mankind determining to make sensible laws for the regulation of space in time would be increased.(/) If successful, a joint European venture on space would increase Europe's power and hence her influence in the councils of theworld. (3) Rely on the United Nations. To some people it might appear that space research should be carried out on a world basis, and not on an individual or regional basis. Since space research represents the exploration of other worlds by the inhabitants of this one, it should for both practical and moral reasons be carried out on a world basis. The only world body available is the United Nations, therefore all space research should be undertaken by the United Nations. There is theoretical merit in this line of argument, but it does not represent the facts as they are. Two countries, Russia and the USA, are heavily committed to their own space programmes. Why should they abandon them in favour of the United Nations ? Even if we wanted them to, would they ? In any case the United Nations has never attempted any major research project of this nature. They are ill-equipped so to try. I see no harm in individual countries or groups of countries carrying out their own space research. Indeed 1 see substantial scientific merit in such arrangements. The danger to mankind lies, not in separate space programmes, but in an unregulated space race comparable to the race for Africa in the second half of the nineteenth century. Therefore we in Europe must be prepared to work for a world space law under United Nations control. In my view this object would be assisted, rather than hindered, by a European space consortium. At the level of basic scientific research we in Europe should encourage a further extension of that international co-operation which worked so well during the International Geophysical Year. (4) Co-operate with the USA or USSR. It has been argued that European countries, either individually or collectively, would be very ill-advised to attempt an independent space programme. Such a programme implies the development of the necessary rocket vehicle to launch its own satellites or space probes. Europe has not got such a vehicle. It would be very costly to develop one and a needless duplication of American and Russian work on space vehicles and rocket systems. The first flaw in this argument is that there is a European rocket already available to launch a European satellite—the British Blue Streak. The second flaw is the implicit assumption that either the USA or the USSR would be willing to sell the appropriate rockets to Europe. There is little evidence that either of these countries would be willing to sell space rockets to European countries for our independent use. It is true that within a few years the current generation of liquid-fuelled rockets in the USA may be surpassed for military purposes by a new generation of rockets with solid propellants. In such circumstances it might be hoped that liquid-fuelled rockets such as Atlas might be going cheap. Assuming that the USA would be willing to sell such rockets, this would be a very inadequate substitute for the development of a European rocket. Many of the technological and economic benefits of a space programme flow from the development of the space vehicle and the propulsion system of one's own. Riding into space on an American vehicle would be a very poor second-best, but it would be better than doing nothing. Furthermore, there would be a substantial time lag before such rockets might become available. In the meantime Russia and America would be increasing their lead in space technology. The political advantage of a European space programme would be largely lost by riding into space on an American vehicle. I am of the firm opinion that if Europe is to conduct its own space programme, Europe must have its own vehicle. An independent European space programme does not exclude scientific co-operation with the USA or the USSR. A number of European tracking stations have been assisting these two countries in plotting the courses of their satellites and their space probes. In my view long-term co-operation can be better effected by Europe having its own independent space programme than waiting expect- antly and pathetically for the space crumbs which may fall from the rich man's table. (5) Co-operate with Other Member Countries. Having ruled out partnership with either the USA or the USSR and having estab- lished the need for individual European countries to find partners, it seems to me obvious that those member countries who are inter- ested in a space programme should collaborate in a joint pro- gramme. I have shown that the only prospect of entering space for the majority of member countries lies through a joint European ven- ture. I have outlined the reasons why I thought for the larger European countries there are substantial advantages in joining together in a joint programme rather than attempting to undertake their own independently. This is not as revolutionary an idea as might appear at first sight. We have before us the experience of two successful European ventures in scientific co-operation—the European Nuclear Energy Agency and the European Council for Nuclear Research. The idea of a European programme of space research has been investigated at both the private and Governmental levels. (1) Council of Europe. In September 1960 the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, representing the Parliaments, but not the Governments, of 15 European countries, passed the following resolution unanimously:— "The Assembly . . . recommends to the Committee of Ministers •1. That they study as a matter of urgent policy the possibilities and cost of setting up a European agency to undertake a space pro-gramme, based upon a space vehicle developed and built in Europe and to promote the peaceful uses of outer space.2. That they ascertain which member States would be willing in principle to take part in a European programme of space researchand the limit of the financial and scientific commitments which each participating State would be willing to undertake. 3. That, if warranted by these studies and investigations, they preparea specific plan for the creation of a European space agency and submit it to member Governments for early ratification 4. That any European space agency which they may create should besubject to overall control by a committee of the appropriate Ministers and to the parliamentary influence of this Assembly.5. That they keep this Assembly informed of the progress made and that this Assembly be consulted as to the future development ofthis programme." Continued on page 9)
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
