November 21, 1960

SSB Discussion of COSPAR Plan 11-14 Washington
ee

| proposed a definitive international journal of space research, with
simultaneous editions in English, Russian and perhaps one other language as
the most dramatic thing that COSPAR could do to serve as a focus of
international cooperation in space research. A number of practical objections
to this of an obvious nature were raised but Porter will presumably bring it
up at the next COSPAR meeting.

The present plans are for a meeting to be held in northern Italy
between April 7-18. However, it is unlikely that | would be useful before
the 14th when a session on ''Space Biology'' is contemplated; the COSPAR working
groups are also meeting on the 17th and 18th. Salimsky apparently
has been invited to serve as chairman of this session and one has to see what
will happen there.

John Hagen is apparently still pressing for a large UN Conference on the
Peaceful Exploration of Space that he thinks might be held in Geneva in
September but this is probably unrealistic. The planning for this might well
come up in April.

A number of us felt that COSPAR ought to attempt to coordinate its
activities with other international congresses and only occasionally hold a
large symposium of its own. For example, the Biochemistry Congress in Moscow at
the end of August next year might be a good opportunity. Porter suggested that |
look into this possibility and if it seems apt to write to
for his reactions to a informal proposal that can be made on behalf of Porter as
the U.S. representative in COSPAR. The Microbiology Congress in Montreal in
1962 might be used for a similar purpose.

Among the scientific features that came up particularly in remarks by
Freedman and Kellog was a discussion of the need for a large scale synoptic
survey by many rocket firings of the variation in the eartHs atmosphere. The
region between 100-200 kilometers is apparently the most sensitive. Both at
this meeting and subsequently at the NASA PIP=4 (Dubin) | then raised the
question of using the satelloid as the means of exploring this region on a global
basis.