Space and the Scientific Community

MORE than 55 countries are now co-operating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in a variety of scientific projects, all aimed at peaceful exploration of space. This co-operation is an important and substantial part of the NASA program. Even though the first satellites were launched only a little more than 4 years ago, interest in space research is widespread. However, time is required to bring space projects to fruition. It is necessary to organize personnel, project programs based on a nation's particular competence, and find necessary funds. Other countries have much the same motives as we in wishing to conduct space research, including those with scientific, national prestige, economic, and military implications, and appreciation of long-range value in developing competence in advanced technologies. There are considerations in this country's policy of encouraging co-operative space activities. The first is the injunction of the Congress in the National Space Act of 1958, dictating that NASA do so. Motivation for the directive here was the desire that this nation conduct its space program as openly as possible, a realization that the competence of foreign scientists could be used to achieve common objectives, and a hope that the international scientific co-operation of the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58 might be preserved and strengthened. Second, the United States needs scientific stations in many parts of the world to track satellites and spacecraft and receive data from them.