Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 6: Militärische Kontexte

GP 6.3: Talk

Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 12:35–13:00, HSZ 204

Cold War, Ionospheric Research in Greenland, and the Politics of Rockets — •Henrik Knudsen — Department of Science Studies, Aarhus University

Issued on the front page the 4 of July 1968 leading Danish newspaper Politiken enthusiastically announced the commencement of a Danish-American "grand rocket program" to investigate the "splendid natural phenomena" of sunspots, solar flares, and polar cap absorption from Thule Air Base, Greenland. Enthusiasm and national pride was immense and understandably so even if the scramble for space enjoyed far less public and political support in Europe compared to the two arm wrestling super powers. From the early 1960s participation in transnational projects allowed Danish scientist to take gradual steps into the field of rocket borne space research. Now activities were about to reach a new level. The ink was hardly dry when the same paper the next day reported that the Danish government in a sweeping move had decided to call of the American part of the joint effort. In the following weeks newspapers reported from what most participants took to be a major political mishap by the Danish government. The paper will situate the American rocket project in the US Cold War military-technological agenda and outline the complex political appropriation process that lead to the rejection. Finally the political appropriation of arctic big science experimentation will be discussed.