FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1029.PDF
1027 FLIGHT International, 28 June 1962 UNESCO House: the concrete wall of the conference building, the lobby, and the Suffren frontage of the Secretariat building, seen from the Avenue de Segur Missiles and Spaceflight EUROPE LOOKS AT SPACE By Kenneth Owen THE space-age architecture of the UNESCO building in Paris provided a stimulating setting last week for the second Euro pean Space Symposium. In technical content and in the numbers attending, the meeting marked a major advance over the inaugural conference in London last year. Even more import ant, one sensed throughout the three-day assembly two significant factors—the potential strength of the French national space effort, and a determination that the European Space Research Organiza tion and the European Launcher Development Organization would make good, even if the ink was only just dry on the signatures to the respective conventions. Organization of the symposium was in the hands of the French Astronautical Society, with the British Interplanetary Society and the Eurospace industrial group as co-sponsors. Attendance was predominantly French, with a sprinkling of delegates from other European countries and from the United States. "The stage is now set for a large European venture into space," declared Dr L. R. Shepherd, vice-president of the BIS and president of the International Astronautical Federation, at the opening of the symposium on June 18. The details of this stage set were described in the 25 scientific and technical papers presented sub sequently at the meeting. But before the main course of science and technology we were treated to some appetizing and controversial hors d'oeuvres on the subject of the French national space programme and how it would fit into the international picture. The speakers on this subject at the opening session were M Gaston Palewski, Minister of State for scientific research, atomic and space affairs; and Gen Robert Aubiniere, Director-General of the French National Centre for Space Studies. For reasons which are indicated briefly in the paragraphs which follow but which will be detailed in a subsequent article, both gentlemen were in favour of it—the French national space programme, that is. M Palewski expressed his basic philosophy in one sentence: "France realizes the need for European countries not to lose their place in the race that is now going on." France's own space pro gramme, he said, should produce a satellite ready for launching by 1965. In addition to co-operating in ELDO and in ESRO, France was co-operating "as far as possible" with other countries—such as the USA, with whose help a joint satellite would be launched, the Minister said, in 1963. Gen Aubiniere went further than M Palewski in commenting on co-operation with the United States. This was excellent as regards satellites and ground stations, the general said, but "understanding was longer to come by" on the question of launch-vehicle informa tion. True, the USA would provide actual launchers on occasion to place other people's satellites in orbit but, because of a fear that the information would be used in military missile programmes, refused to give rocketry data which could help Europe in develop ing her own new launch vehicles. There was room for more co operation here, Gen Aubini6re opined. Two of the reasons for having a purely national programme in addition to France's co-operative projects with other countries, General Aubiniere said, were (1) to bridge the gap between the present and the time when ELDO and ESRO were functioning; and (2) to help in achieving a "national dynamic"—i.e., space was deemed a suitable field in which to aim at high national prestige. After listing some of the specific objectives to be attacked in the next few years, the general made an offer: "All these achievements will be placed at the disposal of other European states, if they so desire." A forthright criticism of the present level of government-spon sored space activity in Europe was made during the final session of the symposium by Air Cdre F. R. Banks, chairman of ATS, the Hawker Siddeley Group research company, who maintained that it would be "human economics" which would largely control the rate and efficiency of the European entry to space. "Not only must we in Europe co-ordinate our scientific and technical effort through the medium of societies such as those represented here, and Eurospace, but it is essential to combine and work in concert with America in the space effort. "Our collective scientific, technical and engineering contribution on this side of the Atlantic could be very considerable," he con tinued, "if there were live and active government policies and the funds to get on with the job. By this I mean sufficient funds to initiate a project and permit it to be rapidly developed. The official programmes that exist, or are under discussion, do not give me a great feeling of confidence for the future. The whole process seems too slow and leisurely . . . "Perhaps I am being too impatient, but it is difficult to be patient while so much voluntary and preparatory work is being done by those here and when many of our governments indulge in delaying tactics. This makes it more difficult for us of Western Europe to meet the Americans on common ground and contribute to their enormous space effort... "The delay in making a decision, or the half-hearted support of
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
