The Press SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1959. Britain and Space Research

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28896, 16 May 1959, Page 12

The Press SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1959. Britain and Space Research

Opinion on Britain's participation in space research has been very mixed. On the one hand it was felt that Britain could not afford to stand aside from an exciting new field of scientific and industrial endeavour. It has been shown that research must extend into space for progress in knowledge in certain known—and conceivably some as yet unknown—fields. Should such research be left as a monopoly of the two countries that have already launched artificial satellites? On the other hand. Britain could not participate on anything approaching the Russian and American scale without straining its economy intolerably. Would a relatively modest programme within Britain’s financial resources be worth while? When it came to r considering the type of programme that might be both worth while and practicable, little consideration was given to a full-scale, independent, satellite - launching project. Thought ran along two main channels. Some favoured what became known as the “ haber- “ dashery ” project. This idea was that Britain should spend, say, £ 100.000 on space “ haber- ** dashery ” such as instruments, and then ask the Americans to give British instruments a ride into space now and again. A second idea was rather more ambitious, but thought to be still well within Britain’s means. Britain’s Blue Streak rocket, with a range of 2500 miles, could, when modified, become the prime mover for a satellite. If some satellite hulls could be obtained from the Americans, stuffed with British instruments, and fired with British rockets. Britain would have a largely independent programme, and one that might prove abundantly worth while. This is the idea that the British Government has accepted; an immediate start is to be made on making instruments. Beyond statements that the Blue Streak and Black Knight rockets will be used to launch a satellite eventually, not much more is known. There

are, However, suggestions niai the project may turn out to be a Commonwealth one. What is likely to be gained? In the first place there is the question of military advantage, even though military considerations are not specifically included in the project. After all, space research has a bearing on missile strategy, on new methods of communication, and on security of communications. Space research may open new methods of intelligence and psychological warfare. Quite apart from the military aspect, many questions may have their answers in the earth’s cosmic environment. It is possible, for example, that space research could make weather forecasting so accurate that world agriculture would be revolutionised. An immediate advantage is the encouragement the adoption of a space research programme will give to British scientists. Their own country will now offer them work in new, stimulating fields of investigation. Without such incentives to stay, the cream of Britain's younger scientists might be lost to the nation. Another gain is expected to come from active co-operation with the Americans. As one London newspaper puts it: “ In “ this matter, as in the case of “ nuclear energy and the new “ weapons, we shall be given “ nothing important by the “ Americans unless we contri- “ bute something, for the Atlan- “ tic alliance should not become “ a welfare state ”. Finally, there are abstract considerations: and they may be strongest of all. Discussing space research recently, the Astronomer Royal (Sir Harold Spencer Jones) drew attention to the last Reith Lectures in which Professor Lovell remarked that in the past economic and cultural strength had followed from fundamental scientific investigations made without thought of direct practical development. Phe Astronomer Royal remarked that there was no ’eason to suppose that what had happened in the past would not fiappen in the future.