Commonwealth Rocket Project

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30156, 13 June 1963, Page 6

Commonwealth Rocket Project

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, June 11., Sir Harrie Massey, Britain’s chief delegate to the International Space Research Symposium in Warsaw, said Britain was working on a cheap rocket to broaden the range of altitude soundings and the prototypes might be ready in about, a year.

He told 400 scientists that Britain was interested in developing these rockets in cooperation with other countries. Costing £ 1000 each, the rockets would be about 3ft high and would explore the atmosphere to a height of about 125 miles where a satellite could not travel without being demolished by the earth’s drag. The rocket would not need elaborate base resources and would greatly improve scientific knowledge of the earth's environment. Talks Begun Talks were proceeding with Commonwealth countries for the creation of launching sites for these rockets to girdle the globe in a co-ordinated programme. Sir Harrie Massey said in about three years the first sateilite wholly constructed by- British scientists, apart from certain attachments necessary to link it to an American rocket? would be ready for orbit. Speaking of the increasing number of satellite flights, Sir Harrie Massey said each one now transmitted thou-

sands of pieces of information to the earth every minute. This had produced ‘‘a Tower of Babel situation.” TSie immense amount of information emphasised the need for more and better computers to extract all vital data.

At present it would take years to study thoroughly -all the information from just one satellite flight, he said.

No official approach has yet been made to the New Zealand Government about the Dominion’s participation in this scheme, but there has been some preliminary correspondence with the New Zealand Space Research Committee.

Dr, F. J. Llewellyn, who was recently succeeded as chairman of this committee by Dr. C. A. Fleming, will go tq London soon and have talks with Sir Harrie Massey on July 4 and 5.