180
this, naturally, was in the context of the strategic importance of Spain for
American interests during the Cold War.
Europe formally initiated its joint space activities by establishing the
European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), which Spain joined in 1962.
Concomitantly, our country created the National Commission for Space
Research (CONIE) in 1963. In 1975, ESRO would become the European
Space Agency (ESA).
In the early seventies a high-ranking Air Force general visited the Izaña
Meteorological Observatory (then still part of the Meteorological Service of
the Air Ministry). I took the opportunity to tell him about my plans for the
development of astrophysics in Spain. He was also informed that in 1972
ESRO had appointed me as an expert on its Solar System Working Group.
With all the enthusiasm of Franco’s engineers for incorporating scientists into
the general project of national reconstruction (as Lino Caprubí tells us in his
book Engineers and the Making of the Franco Regime), he told me that I had to
be a member of CONIE. He pulled a few strings, and I was appointed by a
Ministerial Order of 17 March 1976 of the Air Ministry a voting member of
the commission, which formally comprised military officers.
At the CONIE meetings I began to find out a number of things about the
small Spanish world of space—not only about its deficiencies, but also its
opportunities. The overriding interest of INTA at the time was launchers and
rockets. It was, after all, an Air Ministry institution. And in 1974 it launched
INTASAT (the first Spanish satellite) with a lot of help from NASA. However,
what was noticeable was CONIE’s lack of interest in the more scientific
aspects, particularly space astronomy. Its priorities were to operate the
Arenosillo base, design and develop rockets, launch the first Spanish satellite,
build space platforms, and improve existing terrestrial facilities. I could see
that they needed research projects that included the development of scientific
instrumentation and I set about devising plans to go into space.
In the Canaries we had already opted for getting involved in astronomical
instrumentation, so it seemed logical and achievable to us to incorporate
space into our plans. To be sure, it was the perfect moment to open up this
field in Spain. It was nothing less than a matter of uniting capabilities with
determination to tackle something simple that would help us gain experience
and knowledge.
At the Arenosillo base they were testing small rockets, some of them built
by INTA, and scientific payloads developed by European research centres
from Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain, but none from Spain.
For its part, the IAC’s Nocturnal Sky team had developed instruments to
observe high altitude atmospheric emissions, and Dr. Eduardo Battaner in
F. Sánchez
this, naturally, was in the context of the strategic importance of Spain for
American interests during the Cold War.
Europe formally initiated its joint space activities by establishing the
European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), which Spain joined in 1962.
Concomitantly, our country created the National Commission for Space
Research (CONIE) in 1963. In 1975, ESRO would become the European
Space Agency (ESA).
In the early seventies a high-ranking Air Force general visited the Izaña
Meteorological Observatory (then still part of the Meteorological Service of
the Air Ministry). I took the opportunity to tell him about my plans for the
development of astrophysics in Spain. He was also informed that in 1972
ESRO had appointed me as an expert on its Solar System Working Group.
With all the enthusiasm of Franco’s engineers for incorporating scientists into
the general project of national reconstruction (as Lino Caprubí tells us in his
book Engineers and the Making of the Franco Regime), he told me that I had to
be a member of CONIE. He pulled a few strings, and I was appointed by a
Ministerial Order of 17 March 1976 of the Air Ministry a voting member of
the commission, which formally comprised military officers.
At the CONIE meetings I began to find out a number of things about the
small Spanish world of space—not only about its deficiencies, but also its
opportunities. The overriding interest of INTA at the time was launchers and
rockets. It was, after all, an Air Ministry institution. And in 1974 it launched
INTASAT (the first Spanish satellite) with a lot of help from NASA. However,
what was noticeable was CONIE’s lack of interest in the more scientific
aspects, particularly space astronomy. Its priorities were to operate the
Arenosillo base, design and develop rockets, launch the first Spanish satellite,
build space platforms, and improve existing terrestrial facilities. I could see
that they needed research projects that included the development of scientific
instrumentation and I set about devising plans to go into space.
In the Canaries we had already opted for getting involved in astronomical
instrumentation, so it seemed logical and achievable to us to incorporate
space into our plans. To be sure, it was the perfect moment to open up this
field in Spain. It was nothing less than a matter of uniting capabilities with
determination to tackle something simple that would help us gain experience
and knowledge.
At the Arenosillo base they were testing small rockets, some of them built
by INTA, and scientific payloads developed by European research centres
from Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain, but none from Spain.
For its part, the IAC’s Nocturnal Sky team had developed instruments to
observe high altitude atmospheric emissions, and Dr. Eduardo Battaner in
F. Sánchez