Arnold Frutkin
Encyclopedia
Arnold Frutkin was the Deputy Director of the NASA
international programs office between 1957 and 1978, and later, the associate administrator for external relations. He was the NASA Deputy Director for international affairs during the Space Race
between the United States
and the Soviet Union
.
, July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. This title later changed to assistant administrator for international affairs in 1963. Frutkin was employed by NASA as deputy director of the international programs office during the space race
between the United States
and the Soviet Union
. After retiring, Frutkin commented although he had always disliked the space race, he had nonetheless felt disappointed by the success of Sputnik 1
. In 1970, Frutkin and Thomas Paine
held discussions with the Soviets that would later become the base for the ASTP
.
Frutkin wrote a letter asking the French space program to reaffirm their pledge not to launch commercial communications satellites under the Intelsat
project's agreement that no other communications satellites besides Intelsat would be launched for commercial purposes. France had requested that NASA launch a French satellite which they identified as a research instrument. NASA gave the project the go ahead, but later, some French officials started to claim that the satellite would be used for commercial purposes and the launch of the satellite was cancelled. Lebeau, an employee of the French space program, claimed that Frutkin had refused to launch the French satellite, a comment that resulted in Frutkin barring him from his office. Frutkin took a copy of the letter he wrote with him when he went to meetings in Europe, so as he could produce it when he was queried as to why he supposedly refused the French project.
Frutkin believed that the USA had never lost the Korean War
as the aim of the USA had been to prevent North Korea from taking over South Korea, in which they had been successful. This opinion went against what many of his colleagues at the time, including Thomas Paine, believed. Nonetheless, in 1973, Frutkin was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal
by Thomas Paine, and Frutkin commented that Paine had always been "wonderful" to him.
In 1978 Frutkin was appointed as the associate administrator for external relations for NASA. He held this post until his retirement in 1979.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
international programs office between 1957 and 1978, and later, the associate administrator for external relations. He was the NASA Deputy Director for international affairs during the Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Biography
Frutkin first started working for NASA when he was hired as deputy director for the U.S. National Committee during the International Geophysical YearInternational Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
, July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. This title later changed to assistant administrator for international affairs in 1963. Frutkin was employed by NASA as deputy director of the international programs office during the space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. After retiring, Frutkin commented although he had always disliked the space race, he had nonetheless felt disappointed by the success of Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
. In 1970, Frutkin and Thomas Paine
Thomas O. Paine
Thomas Otten Paine , American scientist, was the third Administrator of NASA, serving from March 21, 1969 to September 15, 1970.During his administration at NASA, the first seven Apollo manned missions were flown...
held discussions with the Soviets that would later become the base for the ASTP
ASTP
ASTP might refer to:* Apollo–Soyuz Test Project* Advanced Space Transportation Program* Army Specialized Training Program...
.
Frutkin wrote a letter asking the French space program to reaffirm their pledge not to launch commercial communications satellites under the Intelsat
Intelsat
Intelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...
project's agreement that no other communications satellites besides Intelsat would be launched for commercial purposes. France had requested that NASA launch a French satellite which they identified as a research instrument. NASA gave the project the go ahead, but later, some French officials started to claim that the satellite would be used for commercial purposes and the launch of the satellite was cancelled. Lebeau, an employee of the French space program, claimed that Frutkin had refused to launch the French satellite, a comment that resulted in Frutkin barring him from his office. Frutkin took a copy of the letter he wrote with him when he went to meetings in Europe, so as he could produce it when he was queried as to why he supposedly refused the French project.
Frutkin believed that the USA had never lost the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
as the aim of the USA had been to prevent North Korea from taking over South Korea, in which they had been successful. This opinion went against what many of his colleagues at the time, including Thomas Paine, believed. Nonetheless, in 1973, Frutkin was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal
NASA Distinguished Service Medal
The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award which may be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States...
by Thomas Paine, and Frutkin commented that Paine had always been "wonderful" to him.
In 1978 Frutkin was appointed as the associate administrator for external relations for NASA. He held this post until his retirement in 1979.