328 



importance of orbiting the first artificial satellites to the release 

 of atomic power, 83 and has commented as follows: 



By now, references to the Space Age have become hackneyed, yet upon reflec- 

 tion it seems possible that, a thousand years hence, the year 1957 will be to the 

 schoolchildren of the world what 1492 is to young Americans today. In M92 

 the Old World opened the door to the New; in 1957 man opened the door to the 

 solar system, and perhaps beyond.* 4 • 



Furthermore, it was the IGY space satellite program which led 

 to the aforementioned discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts, 

 characterized by Roberts as "one of the great physical science dis- 

 coveries of all time," the implications of which "are yet unimagin- 

 able, but they are certainly tremendous — quite possibly comparable 

 with those attending the discovery of radio waves." K 



If the launching of artificial earth satellites was the most outstanding 

 IGY accomplishment, then the exploration of the Antarctic was 

 undoubtedly the next greatest achievement. Before the IGY, most 

 of man's knowledge of his native planet had been based on data 

 derived from observations made on the six continents he inhabited; 

 Antarctica remained the unknown continent. 8 * On a global scale, 

 information regarding atmospheric circulation, ionospheric conditions, 

 and geological history of the earth necessarily remained incomplete. 

 IGY activities initiated in the Antarctic and continued thereafter 



; . . resulted in numerous significant discoveries which contributed to better 

 knowledge and a clearer picture of the physical processes of [the earth]. Geologic, 

 paleontologic, and paleomagnetic discoveries . . . were largely responsible 

 for the revival of the Continental Drift theory and the emergence of a new and 

 more accurate picture of Earth's geology, this time with the seventh continent 

 included." 



The IGY was, of course, much more than the launching of earth 

 satellites and exploration of the Antarctic, dramatic as those accom- 

 plishments were. It was, according to Kaplan, "primarily a program 

 of basic research, a seeking after first causes." 88 Atwood has described 

 it as "a good program, carefully planned, and magnificently executed," 

 which led to 'new scientific knowledge of untold wealth." 89 In 

 particular, important new discoveries were made regarding man's 

 environment, the earth itself, the oceans, and the atmosphere. Thus, as 

 stated by Roberts, 



The borders of our knowledge of man's environment were pushed back in several 

 Important respects, with an already vast and growing store of new knowledge 

 which will sharply influence the course of human development.' 4 



The mere production of data is in itself no guarantee of scientific 

 advancement. The IGY did much more than generate data: it pro- 

 duced new scientific understanding and knowledge. It permanently 

 increased both the .amount and quality of geophysical and solar 

 observations, served to catalyze much research that might never have 



•Walter Sullivan, "The IQY— Scientific Alliance in a Divided World," Bulktia of On Atonic BdtnUtU 

 14 (May 1958), p. 78. 



« BoUrvan, AnmnU, pp. 2-8. 



■ Roberts. "The IOY In Retrospect," p. 364. _ 



• George Doomanl, "Science Policy tor Antarctica," BulUiin of the Atomic Sckntittt 24 (April IMP), 

 D 80 



'« Doumanl, "Science Policy (or Antarctica," pp. 80-40. 



•Joseph Kaplan. "What We've Learned from toe IOY," The Rotation 108 (March I960), p. Ml 



» Atwood, "The IOY in Retrospect," p. 680. 



« Roberta, "The IOY la Retrospect," p. 203. 



