59. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what steps were taken by the Royal Greenwich Observatory to observe the satellite launched by the Russians on 4th October; and what observations were taken between 4th and 7th October.
§ Mr. SoamesScientific interest in the satellite is not astronomical but geophysical. The equipment at the Royal Observatory is designed for the observation of natural celestial bodies, and it cannot be be used for following objects moving at the speed of the satellite. Nevertheless the Observatory did calculate the satellite's orbit, and subsequently the rocket was observed from there with the naked eye on a number of occasions since 10th October.