APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110012-0
Czechoslovak Commission on Solar-Terrestrial Physics, and studies in this area, as well as on other aspects of solar research, are conducted by the Geophysical Institute of the CSAV, Prague, and by that of the SAV, Hurbanovo.
(2) Space science and aeronomy—Since the beginning of space activity, the space science effort has been directed principally to satellite tracking. The country participates in the Soviet-sponsored INTEROBS optical tracking program for the determination of short-period changes in upper atmospheric density and in various Soviet- or Western-sponsored photographic tracking programs. The Ondrejov Observatory has cooperated also with the U.S.S.R. in making photometric observations of satellites, including the study of atmospheric optical properties and aerosol and ozone distributions.
Czechoslovakia is one of the principal participants in the Soviet-sponsored Intercosmos cooperative space program of the East European Communist countries. It has provided some of the instrumentation for, or otherwise has participated in experiments involving, several of the Soviet-launched satellites of the Intercosmos series. These vehicles, the first of which, Interkosmos-1, was launched in October 1969, have had various missions, including solar, cosmic ray, magnetospheric, and ionospheric research. A recent contribution by Czechoslovakia was the provision of some of the instrumentation for Interkosmos-8 launched in December 1972 to make ionospheric observations. Czechoslovakia also participated in the cooperative solar and ionospheric experiments conducted by means of the high-altitude geophysical rockets Vertikal-1 and Vertikal-2, launched by the Soviets in 1970 and 1971, respectively. In addition, it has cooperated in developing instrumentation for Soviet meteorological satellites and is a party to a 1971 agreement by the East European Communist countries to establish the Soviet-sponsored communications satellite system.
Czechoslovak research in the disciplines relating to the high atmosphere is competent but not internationally present. Cosmic ray observational activity is centered in the Institute of Experimental Physics, Kosice, of the SAV. It has a cosmic ray laboratory on Lomnicky Stit and has cooperated with the U.S.S.R. in making observations in Antarctica. The principal center for ground-based ionospheric research is the Geophysical institute of the CSAV, Prague, which has ionospheric observatories at Pruhonic and at Panska Ves. Research includes the making of vertical incidence soundings, investigations of ionospheric structure, and radio-wave propagation research. The Upper Atmosphere Department, Prague, of the Astronomical Institute of the CSAV conducts airglow research and is active in twilight-sky studies of the aerosol content of the upper atmosphere. Ground-based photometric observations are made at the Ondrejov and Skalnate Pleso observatories, and twilight sky measurements have been made from aircraft and from stratospheric balloons in cooperation with the French.
(3) Meteorology—Meteorological research in Czechoslovakia is not outstanding. That conducted by the Hydrometeorological institute, which is headquartered in Prague, is predominantly in climatology and synoptic meteorology. Similar type research is done also by the Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Bratislava, of the SAV, and in the universities. The Hydrometeorological Institute has also done a small amount of numerical forecasting research. The Institute of Physics of the Atmosphere, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, is located in Sporilov. The institute conducts research on general circulation of the atmosphere and also conducts studies in dynamic climatology, physics of the clouds, and precipitation and the boundary layer of the atmosphere. Czechoslovakia is one of the three countries in Europe with the greatest air pollution. Atmospheric physics research is playing an important role in improving the dissipation of smoke stack gases caused by a sprawling power, engineering, metallurgical, and chemical industry.
(4) Terrestrial geophysics and geology—Czechoslovakia exhibits a high level of competence in terrestrial geophysics, particularly in seismology. The most important center is the Geophysical Institute, Prague, of the CSAV. Other principal centers are the Geophysical Institute of Charles University; a center of the SAV, Hurbanovo; and the Institute of Applied Geophysics, Brno. Czechoslovakia has major geomagnetic observatories at Pruhonice, Budkov, and Hurbanovo, and a seismograph network with instruments at Pruhonice, Prague, Kasperske Hory, Bratislava, Srobarova, Hurbanovo, and Skalnate Pleso. In addition to the network station, there is an experimental subterranean station at Kasperske Hory.
In research on geomagnetism, the study of solar influences on the geomagnetic field is emphasized. However, work is done also on geomagnetic pulsations, in making aeromagnetic surveys and preparing geomagnetic maps, and in paleomagnetism. Magnetotelluric (earth) current observations have also been made in studies of the deep geological structure in Czechoslovakia.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110012-0
