528 Nature Vol. 291 18 June 1981 And the third may be saved from the Inter­ of the French Lettre des Sciences et All aboard for Halley national Solar-Polar Mission if NASA fails Techniques which selects and condenses The planned Soviet-French joint to win approval for even a modified solar­ reports of new discoveries. Many par­ mission to Halley's comet in 1986 has polar spacecraft. (The ESA solar-polar ticipants argued that the mentality of been transferred, on the initiative of the spacecraft is included in the shuttle scientists in the field needs changing. They Soviet Union, to the joint Comecon manifesto but with a launch date of May should publish information less for their "Interkosmos" programme. At the same 1986, more than a year later than originally peers than for the end user. Or they should time, French participation will be largely planned.) themselves become entrepreneurs. The Com­ reduced to the first stage of the mission, Foreign and commercial users affected mission will now consider how best to create the fly-by of Venus. by the latest shuttle delays are being given the environment for the scientist/entre­ The Halley probe is now to carry until the end of this month to decide preneur and for a European context for the apparatus from Comecon countries, whether they would like to use Thor Delta scientific information broker. although their participation seems to be launchers instead. Judy Redfearn Coincidentally, the European Com­ confined to the provision of equipment mission's proposals for EEC programmes rather than the design of any individual European innovation in the field of new technologies - experiments. Some countries may be microelectronics and telematics- are to be assigned an individual responsibility for reexamined with greater interest, said Mr various sections of the mission - Brokers in demand James Prior, the UK Secretary of State for Hungary, for example, has been Luxembourg Employment, after an unprecedented entrusted with developing the television The role of the European Commission in gathering of the EEC's finance and system for monitoring the comet and creating the right environment for employment ministers in Luxembourg on transmitting the pictures to Earth. innovation came up again at a symposium 11 June with the aim of finding a solution The announcement of the Interkosmos - sponsored by the Commission - in to the growing unemployment problem. Sir trip to Halley's comet came at last Luxembourg last week. The three-day con­ Geoffrey Howe, the British Chancellor of month's meeting in Erevan of the ference was inspired by the resolution of the Exchequer, has also stated that the Comecon permanent working group on EEC science ministers at the end of 1979 Commission is to bring forward new space physics, only a few days after the and follows on from a similar symposium proposals to stimulate the expansion of successful landing of the Romanian cos­ on banking and innovation held last year. small and medium-sized businesses. monaut, Dumitru Prunariu, brought to Despite the ritual homage paid to the If Mr Prior's words at the "Jumbo an end the programme of Comecon par­ idea that small business will make good the Council" are to be taken seriously, the ticipation in missions to the Salyut space job losses in large companies and Commission's work in the area of scientific stations. Academician V.A. Kotel'nikov, industries, this year's symposium high­ communication is likely to be given a shot chairman of Interkosmos, confirmed lighted the gap between the researcher and in the arm. The ministers agreed that there that no further joint manned flighs have the businessman. Participants repeatedly must be a greater coordination of the been planned, although several affirmed that basic and pure research in EEC's approach to new technologies. unmanned joint missions are scheduled. Europe too often fail to lead to commercial Jasper Becker Vera Rich application. The implication is that the dynamism of Soviet scientists tracking satellite would be able to cover the the small American business is not so easily shuttle only in about half of its orbit and copied in Europe. Not only is there a lack Another trial one third of Spacelab data could be lost. of venture capital but linguistic Extra recording equipment would be differences, the small size of national Dr Viktor Brailovskii, the Moscow carried on board, but it is unlikely that the markets and technical barriers are further cyberneticist faces trial this week on a very high rate of data (100-150 megabits deterrents. In addition, the sheer mass and charge of "disseminating fabrications ... per second) from the microwave facility for variety of the channels through which which defame the Soviet political and Earth observations could be recorded. research results are made available social system". Dr Brailovskii has refused Spacelab users and ESA await NASA's bewilder rather than inspire industry. So a defence counsel, maintaining that final decision. this symposium edged round to the nothing in his conduct over the past few Meanwhile, NASA has been revising its conclusion that what is required is a broker years needs to be defended in court. schedule for shuttle flights up to 1985. Sur­ or intermediary who could select Dr Brailovskii was dismissed from his prisingly, after the almost complete success exploitable research and help to develop it lectureship at the Moscow Radiotechnical of the first shuttle flight, delays are in store. commercially. Institute in 1972 when he applied, with his Seven of the 44 flights scheduled before Some effective middlemen exist. In the wife and son, to emigrate to Israel. In 1973, 1985 are to be postponed until the second United Kingdom, the National Research he and his wife Irina joined the "Sunday half of the decade or even cancelled. Most Development Corporation was set up in seminar on Collective Phenomena" other payloads are to be delayed. The 1946. The Netherlands has the Eindhoven organized by their friends, Dr Aleksandr reason for the delays, ranging from a few University of Technology, which has Voronel', for "refusnik" scientists who days to more than a year, are cuts in the helped 200 small and medium-sized wished to keep up some sort of intellectual Reagan budget, a more accurate estimate businesses in its first year of operation. In life during the waiting period between of the turn-round time and, most recently, Austria the Innovationsgesellschaft is a applying for a visa (and subsequently delays in the manufacture of lightweight venture bank specializing in helping losing their jobs) and actually being external fuel tanks. NASA says that delay inventors to launch new products. Belgium allowed to emigrate. From then on they in delivery of the tanks is largely respon­ has several industrial research parks at the were both frequently subjected to police sible for the postponement of seven flights Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve harassment, which intensified when Dr beyond 1985. and Vrije Universiteit Brussels. Brailovskii became organizer of the Three of the seven flights will effectively The consensus of opinion at the seminar following the departure of be cancelled. One will be saved by symposium, however, was that these Voronel' and his successor Dr Mark Azbel' launching the two Galileo probes to innovations are inadequate. One to Israel. Jupiter, more than 400 days later than suggestion was for a European Technology In 1976, Dr Brailovskii was given per­ originally planned, on a single shuttle Transfer Centre, another for a European mission to emigrate but his wife was flight. Another has been saved by the Investment Bank specializing in research. refused on the grounds that she had access cancellation of the Venus-orbiting probe. Others proposed more bulletins on the lines to secret information. (Her former

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