In a sense, the developing interest in the physics of planet Earth was fortuitous for space technology, since it provided a reason for the development of satellites. The two were brought together by the International Geophysical Year (IGY), an international scientific programme conducted jointly by 54 nations between July 1957 and December 1958. ^[1] Its principal task was the comprehensive study of the influence of solar activity on the various phenomena observed in the atmosphere, ionosphere and near-Earth space. Thus the time selected for the IGY corresponded to a period of maximum solar activity.

The idea for the IGY was spearheaded by renowned American geophysicist Lloyd Berkner in the spring of 1950, apparently during an informal gathering of fellow scientists at the Maryland home of James Van Allen ^[3]. Among the group was British geophysicist Sydney Chapman who, with Berkner, set the idea in motion. By 1953, an international Organising Committee for the IGY had been established, with Chapman and Berkner as president and vice-president, respectively.

Although one naturally thinks of geophysics as a predominantly ground-based activity, even in the 1950s there were some members of the geophysics community whose interests lay in the upper atmosphere, which was difficult to research because of its in accessibility. Indeed, outer space was seen by some as an exciting extension of the geophysical environment and, since the technology to launch a satellite was becoming available, it seemed logical to include this aspect of investigation in the IGY. Among...