2. INTRODUCTION
Research, science and technology aerospace are very important
in the scientific and technical development of a country. This
fact, recognized worldwide, has been expressed by saying that
the best example of the technical level of a country is its
aerospace technology. The importance of science and
technology aerospace as sources of air (and in the future in
space) and as basic element of military power, and even the
international prestige of nations, are too obvious to need
commenting. However, other aspects, such as the possible
economic benefit can provide the country or the influence of
Aerospace science and technology have on the development
in many branches of science and technology.
3. INTA
Space Technology in Spain is adjacent to the creation of the
organization INTA. This institution was created by the Spanish
Ministry of Defense. It stands for “Instituto Nacional de Técnica
Aeroespacial”, in english “National Institute of Aerospace
Technology”. It was founded in 1942 and currently is situated in
Torrejón de Ardoz, about 20 km away from Madrid. Today, INTA
receives around 200 million euro and has about 12 hundred
employees. Its main objectives are improving, testing, certifying
aerospacial technologies and equipment. Other than Torrejón de
Ardoz, there are many INTA establishments all over the country, like
a testing area in Granada or in Huelva, and a satellite station in
Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. Some projects that INTA is developing
include turbojet engines.
4. MASPALOMA STATION
The first space related program of INTA was a collaboration with NASA beginning with
a large seminar in 1960. The seminar covered many space-related subjects and was
very thorough.
Also in the year 1960, Spain and America agreed to establish the first NASA space
observation centre - The Maspaloma Station.
The first program of the station(1960-63) was the Mercury program – the station took
part, along with other stations around the globe, in what was the first real space
program in the history of USA, when John Glenn was the first American and fifth
person to take flight in the “Friendship 7”. After the Mercury program, extensions to the
station were built so it could take part in the Gemini program (first spacewalk) from 65
to 66. Later when Spain wanted to participate in the Apollo program (68-72), it turned
out that a big problem was a great influx of tourists, which was why a new station
under the same name was built. The Apollo program was one of the most important
space programs in history of mankind, as Apollo XI was the first spaceship to land
man on the moon. In time of the program Maspalomas operated “Skylab”, the first
American space station. In 1975 it participated in the Soviet-American Apollo–Soyuz
Test Project. At the end of this mission collaboration with NASA ended, but the station
was taken over by Comisión Nacional de Investigación del Espacio. It now works for
the European Space Agency, American National Association of State Departments of
Agriculture, Spanish Minisat, Hispasat, Helios and Cospas/SARsat satellite programs.
5. ROBLEDO DE CHAVELA STATION
In 1964 the Robledo de Chavela station was founded, also in
cooperation with American NASA. In 1965 it received the first
pictures from another planet, which was Mars. In 1977, a fifth large
antenna was added to the station, which made it the most important
in all of Europe. From then on, Robledo de Chavela station partook
in all of NASA projects, like (chronologically) to Mars, the Moon,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. It cooperated in the mutual
missions of NASA and ESA, like Ulysses, a space studying probe
(1994-2009), SOHO, another sun study which began 1995, the
Cassini-Huygens satellite mission which was supposed to examine
the rings of Saturn, the black matter on its moon Iapetus, study the
largest moon Titan and the magnetoshpere of the planet. Other
projects are, in collaboration with West Germany, Helios A and
Helios B. The station is, naturally, still important in the aerospacial
development of Spain and Europe today.
6. THE ARENOSILLO LAUNCH RANGE
The Arenosillo launch range was established in in
collaboration with NASA and France. It was created to
study the atmosphere. First two sounding rockets were
launched in 1966. The launch range is close to Huelva
and has overal good weather conditions for conducting
aerospacial activity. It is still open today.
7. THE CEBRERO AND FRENDESILLAS
STATIONS
The Cebreros and Frendesillas stations were
extensions of the Robledo de Chavela station,
located in Avila and in Fresnedillas de la Oliva and
Navalagamella. They were important for the solar
system exploration missions but were deactivated,
Cebreros in 1983 and Frendesillas in 1985, with all
the equipment, including a large 26 metre antenna,
moved to Robledo.
8. INTASAT AND SPANISH SATELLITES
The exospherical endeavours of INTA in collaboration with NASA include satellites.
The first one was INTASAT, a weather satellite. The project of INTASAT began in
1968 and the satellite launched on the 15th November 1974. It had a lifespan of 2
years.
The next one was launched in 1995 with the collaboration of the University of Madrid –
the UPM-Sat 1 was a 47 kg, was flying at the altitude of 670 km and completed a lap
around the Earth every 98 minutes. The next satellite in this collaboration will be
launched in 2014. Next satellites were Minisat01(1997) Nanosat 01 (of 2004), Nanosat
1B (2009) which is still active and its main task is communication between Antarctica,
Spain and the polar research ship BIO Hesperides (A-33). The newest satellite is the
Xatcobeo, a satellite created by the collaboration of INTA and the University of Vigo.
The tracking station of the spanish satellites (Nanosat 1B and Xatcobeo) The Madrid
Deep Space Communications Complex in Robledo de Chavela, 63 km from Madrid.
The MDSCC was a very important communication centre in the past, for example for
the Apollo 11 project and lesser ones like the Mars Express satellite, Venus Express
satellite, the Rosetta probe to Mars, the Cassini-Huygens which was supposed to
examine the rings of Saturn, the black matter on its moon Iapetus, study the largest
moon Titan and the magnetoshpere of the planet. It communicates with the two
Voyagers, which contain golden disks that have the recordings of music, languages
and different sounds that are supposed to be a way of communicating with
extraterrestial beings.
9. SPANISH COLLABORATION IN SPACE
Spain is one of the most important members of the ESA
(European Space Agency) and, through it, one of the owners
of the International Space Station. With a contribution of 85
million € per year, ESA maintains multiple antennas in our
country's space exploration and a Quest Tracking Station in
Villanueva de la Cañada (Madrid). Also on hand of our
European neighbors, Spain participates in the design and
construction of some of the ships and equipment that ESA
ships outside the boundaries of the land. This is so because
our country is one of the main partners of EADS, a leading
commercial aircraft manufacturer, Airbus and military
equipment besides cosmonautic equipment.
10. SPAIN AND ESA ON A HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Spain participated in the intereuropean ESRO in 1962 (European Space
Research Organisatio n) program, formerly (Organisation européenne pour
la recherche nucléaire). It had many places that were formidable for space
research to offer, like the Canary Islands and paid 2.66% of all research
costs. It was the precursor to ESA. European countries needed to become a
unify to bear the costs of space research, because they hadn't the
economical power of USA nor the USSR. The space race between the USA
and USSR played a large part in the Cold War, but Europe did not compete.
They did however, decide to participate in space exploration, in a smaller
way. ESRO, following the ESA convention in 1975, merged with ELDO in
1980, an organization created in the same time in 1962.
From the 70s, when USA and USSR finished the space race.
Later, Spain partook in spacial activities, like the building of the Ariane
rocket family.
11. SPAINARD IN SPACE
Pedro Duque Duque was the first
Spanish person to make it to space.
In 1986 he earned a degree in
Aerospacial Engineering. He became
a candidate for a space flight in 1992.
After training in the US and Russia,
he boarded the STS-95 on 29th
October 1998. His next flight was on
the STS-128 in 2009. Overall, he
spent 18 days 18 hours 46 minutes in
Space.
12. SPAIN AND SPACE
Sciences Research in Space, can't be addressed by an only
country, neither NASA space agency because it's very expensive.
Spain owns several of the world's leading centers in the field of
space. It is the administrative base of the International
Observatories. Spain opened one of the best projects worldwide: the
world's largest telescope. The Madrid Deep Space Communications
Complex is the only NASA facility in Spain. Inside centers on
Spanish soil, Tracking Station European Space Agency and the
Centre for Control and Monitoring of Hispasat. The ESA has built a
new antenna to complete its network of space exploration. Among all
organisms, the stand out within the spatial landscape Spanish, is the
National Institute of Aerospace . One of the most important
contributions of Spain to the European Space Agency is held with
the National Research Council . Spain 's contribution to space
research is not limited to its participation in the European Space
Agency, but also participates in the European consortium.
