• → European Space Agency

      • Space for Europe
      • Space News
      • Space in Images
      • Space in Videos
    • About Us

      • Welcome to ESA
      • DG's News and Views
      • For Member State Delegations
      • Business with ESA
      • ESA Exhibitions
      • ESA Publications
      • Careers at ESA
    • Our Activities

      • Space News
      • Observing the Earth
      • Human Spaceflight
      • Launchers
      • Navigation
      • Space Science
      • Space Engineering
      • Operations
      • Technology
      • Telecommunications & Integrated Applications
    • For Public

    • For Media

    • For Educators

    • For Kids

    • ESA

    • Welcome to ESA

    • History

    • Welcome to ESA
    • History of Europe in space
    • ELDO/ESRO/ESA:
      Key dates 1960-2012
    • Key figures
    • European space pioneers
    • Past Directors General of ESA
    • ESRO Directors General
    • ELDO Secretaries General
    • Chairs of ELDO/ESRO/ESA Council
    • ESA History Project
    • The History of the European Space Agency
    • Space history on the web
    • Further reading on European space history
    • Download
    • Bulletin 119: The ESA History Project
    • History Study Reports
    • A History of the European Space Agency, Volume I:
      The story of ESRO and ELDO, 1958-1973 (pdf)
    • A History of the European Space Agency, Volume II:
      The story of ESA, 1973-1987 (pdf)

    ESA > About Us > Welcome to ESA > ESA history

    European space pioneers

    Pierre Auger 

    Pierre Auger Pierre Auger was the first Director General of ESRO, serving from 1964 until 1967. He passed away in 1993.

    Edoardo Amaldi 

    Edoardo Amaldi Edoardo Amaldi, the Italian cosmic-ray physicist, was one of the founding fathers of European space research. He passed away in 1989.

    Herman Bondi 

    Herman Bondi Sir Hermann Bondi, an Austrian-born British mathematician and cosmologist, was the second Director General of ESRO, serving from 1967 until 1971. He passed away in 2005.

    Robert Aubinière 

    Robert Aubinière General Robert Aubinière was the first Director General of the French space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), from its creation in 1962 until 1972, and second Secretary General of ELDO until 1975. He passed away in 2001.

    Last update: 16 March 2010

    • ESA Oral History Project
    • 30 years of ESA in pictures
    • 50 years of space in pictures
    • ESA Publications

    Connect with us

    • RSS
    • Youtube
    • Twitter
    • Flickr
    • Google Buzz
    • Subscribe
    • App Store
    • LATEST ARTICLES
    • · CryoSat hits land
    • · Ariane 5 completes seven launches …
    • · Measuring skull pressure without t…
    • · Malargüe station inauguration
    • · The solar wind is swirly
    • FAQ

    • Jobs at ESA

    • Site Map

    • Contacts

    • Terms and conditions