139
The seven or eight persons who then constituted astrophysics in the
Canaries presented me with a gown, cape, and biretta for my professorial
attire, which I displayed for them standing on a table in the laboratory during
the celebration they had planned. It was a significant and charming memory
that I hold dear.
Once I became a professor of astrophysics, things began to change; we
could now reach forums where our voice could be heard and listened to. At
last, we could set about doing what we needed to do.
In 1971 I was elected a member of the International Astronomical Union
after being nominated by Commission 21 of that organization, rather than
through the National Commission of Astronomy, as would have been the
normal procedure. The National Commission of Astronomy was therefore
forced, by virtue of its own statutes, to accept me as a member, and the
Presidency of the Government had to give me the right to vote in that consultative body of the government. We were beginning to gain a presence and
a voice.
At the beginning of 1972 I was summoned by the Director General of
Universities and Research to the ministry to ‘study matters relating to
Astronomy and Astrophysics’, together with three professors of astronomy
(Torroja, Orús, and Cid) and Padre Romañá, President of the Alfonso the
Wise Council of CSIC. We were building up our presence and voice.
Also in 1972, the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO, the forerunner of ESA) nominated me a member of its Solar System Working Group,
which supervised all European space mission projects.
The time had come to tackle the question of creating an organization that
would sustain all the astrophysical activity about to become a reality in the
Canaries. It would need to be a structure with the capacity to receive the staffing and material means necessary for what we had in mind, and it would need
to be managed efficiently. But it first of all needed to be invented and built up
step by step.
In 1973 the University of La Laguna created its ‘University Institute of
Astrophysics’, to which Teide Observatory would eventually be answerable,
and I was appointed as its Director by ministerial decree. Professor Torroja
abandoned his post, but without formally renouncing it.
At that time, the matter was raised of creating a ‘National Institute of
Astronomy’, a large national organization, controlled by CSIC, that would
centralize and manage all astronomical resources from Madrid so that the
same people could continue to meddle in everything. This manoeuvre was
halted in its tracks in 1973 when the Inter-island Association of Cabildos of
the Province of Santa Cruz created the ‘Institute of Astrophysics of the
15 The IAC: A Dream Come True (1971–Present)
The seven or eight persons who then constituted astrophysics in the
Canaries presented me with a gown, cape, and biretta for my professorial
attire, which I displayed for them standing on a table in the laboratory during
the celebration they had planned. It was a significant and charming memory
that I hold dear.
Once I became a professor of astrophysics, things began to change; we
could now reach forums where our voice could be heard and listened to. At
last, we could set about doing what we needed to do.
In 1971 I was elected a member of the International Astronomical Union
after being nominated by Commission 21 of that organization, rather than
through the National Commission of Astronomy, as would have been the
normal procedure. The National Commission of Astronomy was therefore
forced, by virtue of its own statutes, to accept me as a member, and the
Presidency of the Government had to give me the right to vote in that consultative body of the government. We were beginning to gain a presence and
a voice.
At the beginning of 1972 I was summoned by the Director General of
Universities and Research to the ministry to ‘study matters relating to
Astronomy and Astrophysics’, together with three professors of astronomy
(Torroja, Orús, and Cid) and Padre Romañá, President of the Alfonso the
Wise Council of CSIC. We were building up our presence and voice.
Also in 1972, the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO, the forerunner of ESA) nominated me a member of its Solar System Working Group,
which supervised all European space mission projects.
The time had come to tackle the question of creating an organization that
would sustain all the astrophysical activity about to become a reality in the
Canaries. It would need to be a structure with the capacity to receive the staffing and material means necessary for what we had in mind, and it would need
to be managed efficiently. But it first of all needed to be invented and built up
step by step.
In 1973 the University of La Laguna created its ‘University Institute of
Astrophysics’, to which Teide Observatory would eventually be answerable,
and I was appointed as its Director by ministerial decree. Professor Torroja
abandoned his post, but without formally renouncing it.
At that time, the matter was raised of creating a ‘National Institute of
Astronomy’, a large national organization, controlled by CSIC, that would
centralize and manage all astronomical resources from Madrid so that the
same people could continue to meddle in everything. This manoeuvre was
halted in its tracks in 1973 when the Inter-island Association of Cabildos of
the Province of Santa Cruz created the ‘Institute of Astrophysics of the
15 The IAC: A Dream Come True (1971–Present)