Canadian Astronautical Society

From The Space Library

The Canadian Astronautical Society was founded in 1957 by engineers of the Guided Missile Division of the de Havilland Aircraft Company of Canada. The three reasons cited for the foundation were:

• 1 A potential interest in astronautics seemed to exist
• 2 Canada was unrepresented at the International Astronautical Federation
• 3 Developments in military rocketry made it plain that space travel was rapidly approaching realization and Canadian scientists and engineers did not want to be denied the means of interchange and research in this broad field.

Early meetings were attended by a handful of enthusiastic engineers and at this time Dr. Phillip A. Lapp was elected President by acclaim. In March of 1958 the first meeting at which a large number of persons from many other companies and organisations was convened. At this meeting a motion was unanimously carried that the Society should be legally incorporated as a non-profit making professional organisation with limited liability and active in the field of astronautics.

The objectives of the Society provided for experimental as well as theoretical studies and consequently an experimental program was initiated.

The first project was the design, development and construction of a complete high altitude research rocket system including all ground instrumentation and handling equipment. Excellent progress was made in the first year on a purely voluntary basis and was conditional upon the authorities making available the facilities of a military range, the rocket was expected to be ready for firing by late 1959.

Ten meetings were held in the first six months where experts of high standing delivered addresses to the membership. Exhibitions of rocket equipment built by members were also featured.

Branches of the group included a Space Dynamics Group headed by H.S. Kerr.. This group concerned itself with tracking satellite orbits as part of Fred Whipple's Operation Moonwatch. An Analysis Group composed of professional mathematicians and physicists handled data reduction and numerical work of projects carried out by the society. The Propulsion Group designed and developed combustion chambers and rocket motors as well as the ignitor devices. The Mechanical Group handled design and stress analysis as well as building scale models. An Electronics Group handled communication and telemetry and firing circuits. The Recovery Group investigated means for safely recovering the instrumented payloads. A Space Medicine Group studied man's ability to withstand external forces and strange environments. The Space Law Group was concerned with territorial claims at high altitude.

Copies of the Society Proceedings were to be published quarterly and an annual general meeting would be held every January.