Technology ´90; aerospace and military

Significant developments during 1989 are reviewed. In space science, the Magellan spacecraft to Venus and the Galileo to Jupiter were launched, the Cosmic Background Explorer was launched into a 900 km orbit around the Earth´s poles to see if the background radiation conforms to the Big Bang theory of the Universe´s origin, manned space programs met with mixed success, the Space Shuttle redesign was completed, and competition for the Space Shuttle materialized. Military aerospace programs, meanwhile, face cuts as a result of the weakening of the Soviet threat, due to political events in eastern Europe and potential arms accords. On the other hand, radar for strategic and tactical surveillance has gained in importance.<>