3.4 Early Astronautical Societies and Historical Merits
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weapons; based on the theoretical researches and calculations, Clarke thought that
one of the main applications of space technology would be to realize long-distance
intercontinental communication, and firstly proposed the concept of geostationary
orbit and its communication satellite; Gatland and others studied the multi-stage
rocket technology and initiated the establishment of a wartime rocket research group,
and finally, their researches showed that a small artificial satellite could be put into
orbit by using a three-stage rocket.
In June 1945, the BIS was re-founded by Low, and L. J. Carter drafted a formal
constitution to give the Society a solid legal basis. In the year, Clarke published the
famous prediction paper in the magazine of Wireless World, entitled “Extra-terrestrial
Relays−Can Rocket Stations Give Wide-world Radio Coverage”. A few months
later, Burgess noted that unmanned repeater satellites would be just as effective and
they eventually became a reality in the 1960s. In 1951, at the 2nd International
Astronautical Congress (IAC) in London, Gatland and others presented the paper
“Minimum Satellite Vehicles”, by which it was inspired that the U.S. Naval Research
Institute developed a three-stage launch vehicle that was used to launch in 1958 the
American first satellite Explorer-1 with only 13.97-kg weight. Furthermore, the paper
also affected France and Britain, whose first satellite was a small satellite, weighing
41.7 kg and 66 kg respectively.
The British Interplanetary Society is the oldest significant profession-spaceflight
organization still existing under its original name. Currently, the Society continues to
promote the exploration and use of space for the benefit of humanity, by connecting
people to create, educate and inspire, and advance knowledge in all aspects of astronautics, and is one of the most influential academic research organizations in the
field of astronautics. Its professional journal, Journal of the British Interplanetary
Society, also becomes the famous academic journal in the field.
3.4.5 Other Countries’ Groups and Individuals
Before the Second World War, in addition to the above-mentioned astronautic
research societies with certain scale and influence established by the Soviet Union,
Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, other countries also set up
some small-scale astronautic organizations, such as the French Astronautic Society,
the Dutch Astronautic Society, the Austrian Rocket Research Group, the Argentine
Astronautic Research Center, the Japanese Rocket Society, and so on.
In addition, there were individuals in Europe, which independently investigated
rocket technology and its application. A German engineer and pilot, Reinhold Tiling
(1893−1933), had successively developed 12 kinds of large-size solid-fueled rockets
with gunpowder as propellant. In 1931, the flight tests of his rockets were conducted,
one of which the flight altitude reached 2 km at a maximum speed of 1127 km/h. He
rejected to cooperate with the German Society for Space Flight and had ever tried to
apply his rockets to mail post, but the delivery distance of several thousand meters
was of little practical significance. In 1933, he started to develop a long-range rocket
139
weapons; based on the theoretical researches and calculations, Clarke thought that
one of the main applications of space technology would be to realize long-distance
intercontinental communication, and firstly proposed the concept of geostationary
orbit and its communication satellite; Gatland and others studied the multi-stage
rocket technology and initiated the establishment of a wartime rocket research group,
and finally, their researches showed that a small artificial satellite could be put into
orbit by using a three-stage rocket.
In June 1945, the BIS was re-founded by Low, and L. J. Carter drafted a formal
constitution to give the Society a solid legal basis. In the year, Clarke published the
famous prediction paper in the magazine of Wireless World, entitled “Extra-terrestrial
Relays−Can Rocket Stations Give Wide-world Radio Coverage”. A few months
later, Burgess noted that unmanned repeater satellites would be just as effective and
they eventually became a reality in the 1960s. In 1951, at the 2nd International
Astronautical Congress (IAC) in London, Gatland and others presented the paper
“Minimum Satellite Vehicles”, by which it was inspired that the U.S. Naval Research
Institute developed a three-stage launch vehicle that was used to launch in 1958 the
American first satellite Explorer-1 with only 13.97-kg weight. Furthermore, the paper
also affected France and Britain, whose first satellite was a small satellite, weighing
41.7 kg and 66 kg respectively.
The British Interplanetary Society is the oldest significant profession-spaceflight
organization still existing under its original name. Currently, the Society continues to
promote the exploration and use of space for the benefit of humanity, by connecting
people to create, educate and inspire, and advance knowledge in all aspects of astronautics, and is one of the most influential academic research organizations in the
field of astronautics. Its professional journal, Journal of the British Interplanetary
Society, also becomes the famous academic journal in the field.
3.4.5 Other Countries’ Groups and Individuals
Before the Second World War, in addition to the above-mentioned astronautic
research societies with certain scale and influence established by the Soviet Union,
Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, other countries also set up
some small-scale astronautic organizations, such as the French Astronautic Society,
the Dutch Astronautic Society, the Austrian Rocket Research Group, the Argentine
Astronautic Research Center, the Japanese Rocket Society, and so on.
In addition, there were individuals in Europe, which independently investigated
rocket technology and its application. A German engineer and pilot, Reinhold Tiling
(1893−1933), had successively developed 12 kinds of large-size solid-fueled rockets
with gunpowder as propellant. In 1931, the flight tests of his rockets were conducted,
one of which the flight altitude reached 2 km at a maximum speed of 1127 km/h. He
rejected to cooperate with the German Society for Space Flight and had ever tried to
apply his rockets to mail post, but the delivery distance of several thousand meters
was of little practical significance. In 1933, he started to develop a long-range rocket