50 years in space: documenting Swedish space activities
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HÖGSKOLAN - Avdelningen för historiska studier av teknik, vetenskap och miljö |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 500 000 |
| Project duration | May 2017 - May 2018 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The aim of the project has been to document Swedish space activities which by now has a long history. We achieved this through interviews witness seminars and personal accounts with and from people working in a wide variety of space related sectors. This material will be available for future research through publication in the database Diva and as an archive at the National Museum of Science and Technology.
Expected results and effects
The result is positive as we have been able to talk to people who have not previously been heard. We now have a broader picture of the use and discussions of remote sensing with both optics and radar, we know more about the Swedish-Russian connections at IFR (inspiring a funded research project by Emanuel, partly placed in St Petersburg) and we have learned more on how Swedish industry argued around its participation in space.
Planned approach and implementation
Together with a reference group the project leader and the two research secretaries have regularly discussed the selection of people and the focus of the seminars. The goal was to have a broad sample with people from different areas, specifically industry, state and academy. The selection has also been affected by who were able and willing. In general, we have been successful in our selection. The postproduction has been more time consuming than expected.