title: Highlights of twenty years of optical space research.
abstract: The most important first discoveries in optical space research are reviewed for the twenty years since the beginning in 1946. Only research conducted from space vehicles is included: rockets, earth orbiting vehicles, both unmanned and manned, space probes, and lunar landings. The optical fields involved are: measurements of extreme uv and x rays from the sun, including spectra, spectroheliograms, and monitoring; the white light solar corona; x-rays and extreme uv from stars and nebulae; the airglow; photography of the moon, Mars, and the earth; the technical breakthroughs that made the work possible. An extensive bibliography is included.
authors.affiliation: E. 0. Hulburt Center for Space Research,Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20390, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tousey