AAS 97-694
THE BRITISH SPACE PROGRAM
R. Holdaway - Rutherford Appleton Lab, UK
Abstract
The earliest serious studies of Space in Britain go back to the 1920's and the discovery of the E region of the Ionosphere by Sir Edward Appleton. In 1945 Arthur C Clarke published his now famous paper on Geostationary Satellites. In more recent years, the British Space Program has been particularly active in the areas of Communications, Space Science , and Remote Sensing. Most of our programs are International, primarily with NASA or ESA. However, many bilateral programs have been funded, working for example with the Russians, Japanese, Australians, Argentineans, and most European nations. This paper will outline current and future British programs in Astronomy, Planetary Science, Earth Observation, and Communications.