59
visitors had in mind for the Canary Islands, take the data back to the metropolis to do all the science there. I offered explanations and produced arguments
in defence of my ‘revolutionary’ ideas for hours. It was necessary, I insisted, to
build new self-governing Spanish organisms, adapted to the new circumstances to meet the new realities, that had scientific and technological capabilities, and with their own administrations. More chairs in astrophysics were
also needed. The meeting ended in a stalemate: I had at least succeeded in
making them listen to me.
I battled on with my plans. In Spain, as Cela once said, ‘He who holds out
prevails’. We knew it was not going to be easy; to succeed we had to fight
deep-seated prejudices and personal interests. It was difficult to break with the
then current model of bureaucratized and centralized national research macrostructures in Madrid. Fortunately, the best sites, those preferred by foreign
astronomers for the emplacement of their modern telescopes, were far from
capital cities, in no less a place than on the summits of the Canary Islands. In
the rest of this book I describe how the ‘Spanish astrophysics miracle’ was
brought about and the sacrifices that were made to achieve it. Chapters 12,
15, and 16 detail what it cost to create the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
and endow it with a novel legal and administrative status that would give it
agility and self-governance.
Being different and heterodox in Spain has always been problematic, and
the singular organism that is the IAC has long been viewed with misgivings,
envy, and even animadversion by its enemies.
Another of our main goals has always been to train and equip home-grown
astrophysicists and technologists (see Chaps. 6, 8, 15, and 24). I underline
this once again because without this permanent infusion of intelligent and
motivated new sap Spanish science would wither at the root.
On an optimistic note (bearing in mind the behaviour of those who govern
us), I insist that Spanish astronomy (we may now use this term freely) is now
in a strong position and plays a leading role. There are excellent Spanish astrophysicists dispersed throughout Spain and the world. They work not only at
the IAC but also in universities and other Spanish scientific research centres
with no need for their own observatories. The same may be said of the astrophysical technological teams that lend support to the nascent science industry
in Spain.
As I never tire of repeating, it is wonderful to witness this and to find articles authored by Spanish astronomers in every issue of the scientific journals
of greatest impact in this branch of science.
7 Astrophysics Versus Astronomy (1961–1972)
visitors had in mind for the Canary Islands, take the data back to the metropolis to do all the science there. I offered explanations and produced arguments
in defence of my ‘revolutionary’ ideas for hours. It was necessary, I insisted, to
build new self-governing Spanish organisms, adapted to the new circumstances to meet the new realities, that had scientific and technological capabilities, and with their own administrations. More chairs in astrophysics were
also needed. The meeting ended in a stalemate: I had at least succeeded in
making them listen to me.
I battled on with my plans. In Spain, as Cela once said, ‘He who holds out
prevails’. We knew it was not going to be easy; to succeed we had to fight
deep-seated prejudices and personal interests. It was difficult to break with the
then current model of bureaucratized and centralized national research macrostructures in Madrid. Fortunately, the best sites, those preferred by foreign
astronomers for the emplacement of their modern telescopes, were far from
capital cities, in no less a place than on the summits of the Canary Islands. In
the rest of this book I describe how the ‘Spanish astrophysics miracle’ was
brought about and the sacrifices that were made to achieve it. Chapters 12,
15, and 16 detail what it cost to create the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
and endow it with a novel legal and administrative status that would give it
agility and self-governance.
Being different and heterodox in Spain has always been problematic, and
the singular organism that is the IAC has long been viewed with misgivings,
envy, and even animadversion by its enemies.
Another of our main goals has always been to train and equip home-grown
astrophysicists and technologists (see Chaps. 6, 8, 15, and 24). I underline
this once again because without this permanent infusion of intelligent and
motivated new sap Spanish science would wither at the root.
On an optimistic note (bearing in mind the behaviour of those who govern
us), I insist that Spanish astronomy (we may now use this term freely) is now
in a strong position and plays a leading role. There are excellent Spanish astrophysicists dispersed throughout Spain and the world. They work not only at
the IAC but also in universities and other Spanish scientific research centres
with no need for their own observatories. The same may be said of the astrophysical technological teams that lend support to the nascent science industry
in Spain.
As I never tire of repeating, it is wonderful to witness this and to find articles authored by Spanish astronomers in every issue of the scientific journals
of greatest impact in this branch of science.
7 Astrophysics Versus Astronomy (1961–1972)