1547 



Impoiiance of tiie Case 



The IGY's feats of science ami technology v.eie impi-e.-sivc iiiu! in 

 some instances spectacular; its accompli>hments in llie area of })(/iitics 

 anil diplomacy weie al^o important. 



Among the latter: (1) the IGY, while generously supported by 

 national governments, was successfully run by s(;ientists — for scien- 

 tific and not for political purposes; (2) it nevertheless contributed to 

 the diplomatic framework for later negotiations leading to such 

 developments as the 1961 Antarctic Treaty, the 1963 Test Ban Treaty, 

 and the 1967 Space Treaty; and (3) at least one IGY event did liave a 

 powerful political impact, especially in the United States: The Soviet 

 launching of Sputnik I. 



The iG Y's scientKic achievements included the acf|uisition and pub- 

 lication of valuable data relating, among other things, to cosmic rays, 

 geomagnetism, ionospheric ph3"sics, meteorology, oceanography, solar 

 activity, and the upper atomosphere. The Antarctic was opened up to 

 scientific exploration on a substantial scale. 



The outstanding technological development of the IGY — a develop- 

 nrent which has been widely characterized as marking the world's 

 entrance into the Space Age — was the launching of aitificial Earth 

 satellites. Beyond making possible such important IGY scientific 

 achievements as discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts, the use of 

 satellites for scientific space probes opened "a new era of exploration 

 and discovery which has progressed much more rapidly than could 

 possibly have been foreseen during the IGY."^^ Progress has been 

 so rapid and so extensive, indeed, as to raise the question of whether 

 a second International Geoph^^sical Year might be appropriate for 

 1982-83. 



How the Case Developed ^^ 



A certain amount of intercountry and interregional scientific 

 cooperation has long taken place in such activities as navigation and 

 mapmaking. Not until the 18th century, however, did coordinated 

 efforts by many observers at different locations begin to become 

 common. These eft'orts were intensified during the 19th centiuy; for 

 example, an international conference was held at Brussels in 1853 to 

 facilitate coordinated weather observations at sea. Increased coopera- 

 tion led to the formation of international scientific organizations in 

 various fields, and then to the First International Polar Year (FPY) 

 of 1882-83. 



During the FPY, scientists from 20 nations conducted studies in 

 the high northern latitudes, with emphasis on surface meteorology, 

 geomagnetism, and the aurora borealis. The success of their efforts led 

 to the much larger undertaking, 50 years later, of the Second Inter- 

 national Polar Year or SPY (1932-33). Scientists from 40 countries 

 participated in the SPY; they concentrated on the same subjects 

 that had occupied tlie FPY plus Earth-Sun relationships and atmos- 

 pheric electricity. An important result of the SPY was increased 

 knowledge of the ionosphere, which facilitated the development of 

 radio communications. 



3< Bullis, The Political Legacy nj the International deophysical Year. Vol. I, p. 327. 



'5 For a more detailed account of I he origins and development of the IGY, see: IT.S. Congress, Senate, 

 International Cooperation and Organization for Outer Space, staff report prepared by Mrs. Eilene (Jalloway, 

 Legislative Reference Service specialist and special consultant to the committee, for the Committee on 

 Aeronautical and Space Sciences. Senate Document No. 56. Washington, U.S. Government Printing OfHce, 

 August 12, 1965: 353-373. 



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