Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site alice.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!td From: td@alice.UUCP (Tom Duff) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: Re: StarDate: November 26 The Third Nation in Space Message-ID: <3121@alice.UUCP> Date: Wed, 28-Nov-84 06:50:26 EST Article-I.D.: alice.3121 Posted: Wed Nov 28 06:50:26 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 29-Nov-84 03:08:22 EST References: <837@utastro.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 8 While France was the third nation to launch a satellite of their own, they were not the third nation into space. The Canadian Alouette communication satellite, which was launched by NASA for the Canadian government, predates the French effort. Surely the significance that the referenced article ascribes to the French (``[it] clearly broadcasted that other nations were developing the technology needed for space exploration'') belongs to Alouette. Also, Alouette operated for a lot longer than 2 days.