Chapter 13 



Big Science: 

 Deep Space, Deep Waters 



EVERYONE AGREES THAT THE postwar science boom 

 in America began with the Russian launching of 

 the first man-made satellite late in 1957. This satellite 

 was one of the Soviet contributions to the International 

 Geophysical Year, an eighteen-month, major investi- 

 gation of the physics of the earth. For the first time 

 since the end of World War II, the United States was 

 in second place, and federal funds were poined into 

 several branches of science. 



The immediate result of Sputnik was a tremendous 

 surge of interest in outer space — specifically, in what 

 happened to an object when it came from space through 

 the atmosphere to the earth's surface. Years before, 

 Edward Henderson had been chided by Wetmore for 

 spending his time only on meteorites. Suddenly it was 

 realized that a meteorite is a space probe that has landed 

 on earth, and everyone came to Henderson's office to 

 find out about meteorites. Government agencies pressed 

 money on him, awakening some of the staff to the 

 possibility that the government might be interested in 

 what the Museum could contribute to various other 

 scientific programs. 



With the increasing emphasis on outer space aimed 

 at landing a man on the moon, the Apollo program 

 had a direct impact on growth at the Museum. The 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration rec- 

 ognized the merit in detailed study of the Museum's 

 large meteorite collection, and they agreed to purchase 

 an electron probe and maintain it for three years, after 

 which the Museum would be responsible for costs. This 

 agreement led to the hiring of four additional people 

 in Mineral Sciences and nearly doubled the professional 

 staff of the department. 



Kurl Fredrikkson seated hy the electron probe on the fourth 

 floor of the east wing, 1967. The probe itself is near the 

 circular pillar that protrudes into the room; the rest of the 

 equipment serves to detect and record. Charles Fiori, in the 

 background, makes adjustments on the machine. The probe 

 has been replaced by a later model and moved to an 

 adjacent room. 



The International Geophysical Year focused atten- 

 tion on Antarctica, and resulted in the establishment 

 of permanent American stations on that continent. At 

 the age of seventy-five, Schniitt went on an icebreaker 

 cruise to investigate sites, and with virtually no equip- 

 ment on hand, cajoled the ship's company into helping 

 him make one of the largest collections of marine in- 

 vertebrates ever obtained from the region. 



Expansion in Biology 



When it became clear that the International Geophys- 

 ical Year was going to be a success, a group of biologists 

 conceived the idea of an International Biological Pro- 

 gram, to begin in the 1960s. Although this did not 

 generate as much excitement or money, it was another 

 step forward for "big science." Under this program, 

 Setzer ran a major project for collecting small mam- 

 mals, with field men working throughout Africa and 

 the Middle East. At about the same time, the Pacific 

 Ocean Biological Survey Project, supported by the De- 

 partment of Defense, studied bird distribution and mi- 

 gration. Both programs added many specimens to the 

 collections, but they were supported by grants and con- 

 tracts — "soft money" — and with one or two exceptions, 

 did not lead to permanent staff increases. The Office 

 of Naval Research funded some studies of sharks and 

 shark attacks, again on a contract basis. 



The atomic age, and particularly the development of 

 the hydrogen bomb a few years before sputnik, indi- 

 rectly stimulated expansion at the Museum, curiously 

 enough in biology. Museum scientists had collected ma- 

 rine organisms at Bikini Atoll in 1947 and 1948, before 

 and after atomic bombs were tested. With the hydrogen 

 bomb experiments at Eniwetok Atoll during the early 

 1950s, it was even more critical to sample the biota. 

 Travel money and funds for supplies and temporary 

 assistants came to the Institution. I he Atomic Energy 

 Commission provided funds to build some decking on 

 the south side of the ground floor of the main building; 

 this was the first new space added inside the building 

 since the decking of the I93()s. Some of it was used as 

 offices for contract research associates. 



