The 2nd International Conference on Space Engineering took place May
7-10, 1969, at Venice, Italy, under the organization of the Centro Studi
Trasporti Missilistici and the Association pour l'Etude et la Recherche
Astronautique et Cosmique. Its purpose was to bring together those
interested in the technological development of space components, to
exchange information by the presentation of papers and to discuss
present problems and future trends, and to this end forty-eight papers
were presented by distinguished experts from all over the world. The
papers were selected from as wide a background as possible,
approximately an equal number coming from the academic and research
establishments as from industry. The principal criterion for their
selection was that they should contribute to the knowledge of Space
Engineering, and have application either to the improve- ment of current
technologies or to the design of more advanced systems for the future.
Six pertinent sessions were planned which covered the major areas of
interest: (1) Structures and Materials, where three important papers
were presented; (2) Guidance and Control Systems, in which six valuable
papers were presented, in- cluding problems of controlling space ships,
details of the inertial guidance system of the ELDO launch vehicle, the
attitude control system of the "Europa 2"; (3) Propellants and
Combustion, where eleven papers described recent work on solid and
liquid rocket engines, advanced fuels and oxidizers, effects of
additives, propellant injection, propellant expulsion techniques; (4)
Propulsion, in which session ten papers
