Special Issue: International Space Science
The articles in this special issue of PHYSICS TODAY, together with Minoru Oda's article on the space science program in Japan (December, page 26), portray a research field beset by contradictions. The space research programs of the USSR, Europe and Japan are flourishing. Their scientists are busy analyzing the results of recent successes in Solar System exploration and in astrophysics. They are also busy constructing new projects, some of which are joint international ventures involving a substantial pooling of resources. International cooperation is the mot d'ordre in Europe and the USSR, where enthusiasm and optimism are pervasive.