Preface 7 Foreword 11 Abbreviations 14 Acknowledgements 15

Transcription

1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 7 Foreword 11 Abbreviations 14 Acknowledgements 15 CHAPTER 1 FROM COSMIC RAYS TO THE START OF SPACE RESEARCH ( ) By Michelangelo De Maria and Lucia Orlando, with contributions of Lorenza Sebesta and Alberto Traballesi Introduction Italy s role in European cosmic ray research partnerships 20 I.1.1. Cosmic ray research groups in Italy. 20 I.1.2. The international partnerships within the context of the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) Italy and the International Geophysical Year (IGY) 27 I.2.1. The IGY in Italy. 27 I.2.2. The CNIAGI Cosmic Ray Group. 28 I.2.3. Italian scientific research and US Air Force research : the first partnership attempts. 30 I.2.4. The contribution made by the State Administration and the Air Force s Meteorological Service The military and space 33 I.3.1. Missile production in Europe and the introduction of tactical missiles into NATO s defence system. 33 I.3.2. Space as a new scene for cooperation and conflict : the consequences of the launch of the Sputnik. 36

2 290 ITALY IN SPACE I.3.3. Military and engineers at work : new facilities and centres for space studies in Italy. 40 CHAPTER 2 ITALIAN SPACE POLICY BETWEEN INTERNAL RENOVATION AND EXTERNAL CHALLENGES AT THE TURN OF THE DECADE ( ) By Lorenza Sebesta 1. Italian space policy in the international context after Sputnik 47 II.1.1. The post-sputnik era : the new symbolic value of space. 47 II.1.2. A NATO Satellite for science? 50 II.1.3. The first instances of US-Italian cooperation in space The national context : institutional developments, scientific research and industry in the space field 55 II.2.1. The creation of new instruments for managing research : from the Commissione per le ricerche spaziali (CRS) to the first attempts to set up a Ministry for Scientific Research and Technology. 55 II.2.2. The CRS and the difficult take-off of space science in Italy. 59 II.2.3. The origins of the space industry in Italy The European dimension : a political answer to the industrial and scientific needs of the Italian space policy 67 II.3.1. The first European discussions : Amaldi s role in the birth of ESRO. 67 II.3.2. Italy and ESRO s first steps. 70 II.3.3. Here come the launchers : ELDO and Italy. 74 CHAPTER 3 THE SAN MARCO PROJECT ( ) By Michelangelo De Maria 1. Origins of the San Marco project 77 III.1.1. The San Marco project takes shape. 77 III.1.2. The institutional establishment of the San Marco project. 82 III.1.3. Scientific objectives of the San Marco project. 86

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Phase 1 ( ) : The take-off of the San Marco project The San Marco Marine Mobile Range and its validation The launch of the satellites ( ) 92 III.4.1. Phase 2 of the San Marco project ( ). 92 III.4.2. Phase 3 of the San Marco project ( ) The political economy of the San Marco project 99 III.5.1. The contrast between the national programme and European cooperation. 99 III.5.2. From CNR to CRA : the change of the institutional setting. 104 CHAPTER 4 ITALY, ESRO AND ELDO By Filippo Pigliacelli 1. From national constraints to international propensities : Italian scientific cooperation policies in a historic and political context 107 IV.1.1. The political context. 109 IV.1.2. The end of the boom and the missed opportunities Italy, space and the technological gap 112 IV.2.1. Space and the technological gap. 114 IV.2.2. Italian scientific policy and the space sector. 117 IV.2.3. The Fanfani Proposals Scientific, political and economic meanings of Italian participation in ESRO and ELDO 120 IV.3.1. Italy, ESRO and ELDO. A political (and economic) interpretation. 120 IV.3.2. Scientific participation The progress of the national aerospace industry 139 IV.4.1. The emergence of the aerospace industry and the role of industry associations (AIA and ANIE). 140 IV.4.2. The participation of national industries in the ESRO and ELDO programmes A case study : ESRIN 149

4 292 ITALY IN SPACE IV.5.1. The birth of ESRIN. 149 IV.5.2. The ESRIN activities. 152 IV.5.3. The crisis (1971-July 1972). 153 CHAPTER 5 ITALY AND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS : THE SIRIO PROJECT By Lucia Orlando 1. SIRIO, a tortuous way to the communications satellites 159 V.1.1. Policy, economy and organization of scientific research : the critical context of the SIRIO project. 160 V.1.2. The influence of the European context on the way Italy entered satellite communications. 163 V.1.3. Italian national space programmes at stake : San Marco versus SIRIO? The SIRIO story 168 V.2.1. The start : V.2.2. SIRIO in the mist : V.2.3. Towards a solution. 175 V.2.4. Aerospace industries at stake. 178 V.2.5. The final effort : the race against OTS Epilogue 183 CHAPTER 6 THE DIFFICULT DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAN MARCO PROJECT ( ) By Michelangelo De Maria and Lucia Orlando 1. Introduction The legacy of the San Marco II satellite The San Marco range in full action SAS-A (Uhuru) and the development of X-ray astronomy 198 VI.4.1. Uhuru : Broglio s tool for a new thrust to the San Marco project. 200

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 293 VI.4.2. Uhuru s scientific results The San Marco C satellite (San Marco III) Satellites and rockets from the San Marco range ( ) 206 VI.6.1. The launch of the SSS-A and the sounding rocket campaign ( ). 207 VI.6.2. Meanwhile, the launch of the SAS-B satellite. 208 VI.6.3. The satellite of the Austerity : San Marco IV (San Marco C-2). 210 VI.6.4. The UK-5 (Ariel-5) satellite Hopes and disillusions : the difficult take off of the San Marco D satellite programme A tentative balance 219 CHAPTER 7 A SURVEY ON THE GROUND STATIONS IN ITALY By Michelangelo De Maria and Lucia Orlando, with contributions of Maria Pia Bumbaca 1. Telecommunications, telemetry and tracking : the story of Telespazio Telespazio and Intelsat The exploitation of a traditional activity : scientific research with sounding balloons 230 CHAPTER 8 THE ITALIAN AIR FORCE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE ACTIVITIES By Alberto Traballesi 1. The School of Aerospace Engineering and the Centro Ricerche Aerospaziali (Centre for Aerospace Research) The missile programmes and the Poligono Sperimentale e di Addestramento Interforze (Experimental and Training Inter-arms Range) of Salto di Quirra 236 VIII.2.1. The first experiences with missiles. 237

6 294 ITALY IN SPACE VIII.2.2. The creation of the launching range of Salto di Quirra in Sardinia. 238 VIII.2.3. The launch campaign of teleguided missiles. 239 VIII.2.4. The first scientific utilization of Salto di Quirra : the C 41 rocket probe. 240 VIII.2.5. The joint AMI/CNR programme and collaboration with NASA. 241 VIII.2.6. Meteorological research. 244 VIII.2.7. The GRILLO steam rocket. 245 VIII.2.8. The activities of the army units ESRO and the launching range of Salto di Quirra The Italian Navy s MMI missile activities 251 VIII.4.1. The TERRIER system The ALFA missile The Italian Air Force and the San Marco project 256 Glossary 261 Index of names 265