Real Space Welcome back to this sector of Real Space. Last month was the initial launch of this column, and right now, we are still building up escape velocity to put the column into orbit. Settle back into your acceleration couch and hang on for the ride. This month we'll look at some of the other players in the space game, starting with the European Space Agency. In the early days of space exploration, the motivation for investing huge amounts of resources on developing space programs was due to many reasons. Most of the readers here would like to think the primary reasons were a thirst for adventure and knowledge. Many of us who grew up on science fiction by the early masters, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, looked at space as a place of wonder and mystery. We knew that's where we wanted to be, and we were more than willing to urge our governments to get out there, so we could go too. Of course we should explore space! Our governments, on the other hand, had different reasons for wanting to invest in space exploration. First and foremost, space-related technology is a primary example of what is known as dual-use technology. Not only could the results of space exploration be utilized in improving our day to day lives, the defense forces of the world could also utilize many of the by-products of space exploration. Very early on, it was recognized that control of space, much like control of the air, would be critical for national defense. In fact, the early space programs grew out of the war efforts of the 40's and 50's. Finally, national pride, as much as much as anything else, was a significant motivation in the early days of space exploration. For whatever purpose, huge sums of money were spent on developing space programs in the period from the late 50's through the early 80's. When we think of space programs during that time period, the American and Russian space programs immediately come to mind. We picture two gigantic behemoths, battling it out to show that they could get into space "the firstest with the mostest". Yet, in many respects, this heated competition probably moved the state of the art forward much more quickly than any purely scientific program would have. Yet, focusing on these two programs, to the exclusion of the many others out there, ignores the great amount of effort that is being expended by countries around the world in today's space race. And the race today is not just about national pride or military might. Governments around the world recognize the fruits of space research and technology as key to advancing the standards of living and quality of life of their citizens. Not only are many countries expending significant resources on space-related research, many countries are reaping significant benefits from these investments. Commercialization of space is critical to this process. Leaving aside the United States and Russia, who else is involved in space research? Practically everybody! In fact, as the saying goes, you can't tell the players without a scorecard. There are many significant players in the field of space research, each bringing some expertise or different slant on the process. After the United States and Russia, the largest and best-organized space program is the one operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). The formation of the ESA goes back to the early 60's. On March 29, 1962, the European countries of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as Australia, signed an agreement that formed a consortium called the European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO). The purpose of this organization was to develop a launcher system to put objects into space. Later that same year, on June 14, 1962, these countries, plus Denmark, Spain and Sweden formed the European Space Research Organization (ESRO), to cooperatively develop satellite programs. On July 31, 1973, the two organizations were merged into a single body and given the name the European Space Agency (ESA). Ireland became the 11th member on Dec 31, 1975. The final signature ratifying the ESA convention was obtained on 30 October 1980. Austria and Norway became members in 1987, with Finland joining in 1995. Additionally, Canada participates in some ESA programs and sits on the ESA Council, although it is not a formal member of the ESA. Since coming into existence, the ESA, and its predecessors, have been very active in the space arena. The first launch of a sounding rocket from Andoya, Norway took place in 1966. This was followed in 1968 by the launch on an American rocket of the ESRO-2B or ISIS, the first ESRO satellite. This satellite was designed to detect x-rays and comic radiation from the sun. Six additional satellites were launched under the auspices of ESRO between 1968 and 1972, all designed to further scientific research into the space environment. These efforts were continued under the ESA banner, with the August 1975 launch of ESA's first satellite, COS-B, to study gamma rays in space. These days, monitoring of the earth and its environment is one of the key functions of scientific satellites, yielding major benefits from these investments. Today, ESA is not only heavily involved in the design, development and launching of scientific satellites. It also has an extensive program involving telecommunications satellites. On May 1978, ESA launched OTS-2, the first three-axis-stabilized Ku-band satellite. From this start, ESA has developed a series of satellite systems, including systems for two-way, mobile communication systems, direct broadcast TV satellites, data transfer, and precision location for navigation. One of the key components of an independent space program is access to an independent launch capability, and the early members of ESA recognized this from the start. Based on the efforts of the various national programs, ESA, in cooperation with the French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), began the Ariane launcher program in July 1973. On December 24, 1979, the first Ariane rocket was launched, giving the ESA independent launch capability, and a mechanism for ESA members to put their own satellites into orbit. Subsequently, ESA has continued to develop the Ariane series of rockets, with the Ariane-4 being the current ESA workhorse. It is available in six versions, depending upon the amount of mass that is to be inserted into orbit. Because of the ever-increasing masses of today's satellites, ESA has been developing a new generation of heavy lifters, the Ariane 5. The first test flight of the Ariane-5 took place on June 4, 1996, but the vehicle was destroyed on launch. The second qualification flight of this vehicle occurred on October 30, and was deemed a success. The third qualification flight is scheduled for spring of this year, with commercial flights commencing in the later half of this year. Arianespace is the organization that serves as the commercial marketing arm of the Ariane program, as well as overseeing launch operations. Operating from Kourou, French Guyana, on the northeast coast of South America, Arianespace has the perfect launch site. From its location just north of the equator, it can take advantage of the earth's rotation to boost vehicles into orbit, and it has broad expanses of the Atlantic Ocean to the east, with little population to worry about. Today, by any means of measurement, the Ariane program has to be counted as an unqualified success. Arianespace has captured a large share of the commercial launch business, serving customers in Europe, as well as Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, and the US. To date, Arianespace has put a total of 168 satellites into orbit, a significant contribution to the commercialization of space. Well, I have used up my allotted space and time this month. Next month we'll cover many of the other major players and the significant contributions of their programs to the world's knowledge base. In later columns, we'll look at the benefits we are receiving from these programs and see if we are getting the return that we should be getting for the amount of money being invested. Only if we are armed with these facts can we help tell the story of the space program and influence those around us to increase support for these programs. And this is crucial, because how else are you and I going to get out into Real Space? For additional information, including links to the many national organizations and agencies working in the space arena, as well as electronic versions of this and previous columns, check out my web site, at: References: European Space Agency - < http://www.esrin.esa.it/ > Arianespace - < http://www.arianespace.com/ > 1