One Australian boy's contribution to the space race. Update added at end.

1957 was a big year.

The Cold War was nearing its height and on October 4 fear of the Soviet Bear was pushed along when the first artificial satellite Sputnik-1  was launched.

One night in October 1957 Denis Cox and Brian Ball were on their way to their local band hall in Mordialloc, Victoria.  They gazed up trying to spot Earth's only artifical satellite,  imagining what it meant for them and their nation.   Then Denis and Brian got on with what they set out to do that night, and joined the Mordialloc Brass Band.

Sputnik, and the threat the Soviet space program imposed on Australia was not lost on the Denis Cox, then a student at Mordialloc High School.  He put his ideas for a  rocket ship design down on paper and forwarded it to Australia's premier space weapons research facility, the Woomera Weapons Research Establishment, directed to the attention of the top scientist.

Denis' letter was carefully filed, and was brought to light recently by the National Archives of Australia in their Find Of The Month feature.

 

[ NAA: D250, 56/486 Part 1 ]

 

Denis supplied an elaborate design finely sketched in blue ball point ink, including important featrues such as four Rolls-Royce jet engines and guided missile armament.  An obvious patriot, and in accordance with the rules of war, his design included Australian markings on the rocket ship.  Realising that at such a tender age he did not yet have a definitive design, he invited the Top Scientist at Woomera to " ... put in other details.".

  

[ NAA: D 250, 56/486 Part 1 ]

[ NAA: D250, 56/486 Part 1 ]

Denis requested a letter in return, but he tells me he is still waiting.  The wait for a response has not embittered him, and here is a photograph of Denis at last year's office Christmas party.  He's the one not wearing a red suit:

Although the images of the Denis's letter have been downloaded from the National Archives of Australia website, the NAA has not asserted copyright over use of the images, and instead advised me that copyright of the letter from Denis Cox to Woomera's Top Scientist rests with Mr. Cox. 

Denis Cox has generously granted me permission to reprint his letter here, and kindly supplied the recent photograph of him.

As a boy, I too was fascinated by space, rockets and astronauts.  I'll write more on that when the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing nears.

 

UPDATE ADDED September 28, 2009:  Last week the Australian nationally broadcast radio current affiars program ABC PM did a brief feel-good piece about this, including an interview with Denis Cox.

Transcript is here.  MP3 audio is here.

Looks like Denis is going to get his letter - 52 years after the fact.

UPDATE ADDED December, 2009: Denis Cox gets his replay from a top rocket scientist.

Comments

[David Kilmartin]

Hi,
I would like to get in touch with Denis. I edit the Defence Science Technology Organisation's staff magazine, and became aware of Denis' letter through an unrelated event for South Australian History Week recently. Perhaps we can organise for Denis to get his letter after 40 odd years. How do you fit into the story?

sincerely
David Kilmartin
Editor, DSTO Connections magazine,
[email protected]
[email protected]

[Bob Meade]

David, I will email you shortly.

I am an amateur historian and honest broker. Having seen the charming letter on the NAA website, I thought it would make a good story if I could find Denis after all these years. Using the internet, google search and some deductive powers I found his email address and got in touch with him. He was astonished that his letter still existed and agreed to cooperate.

[mark colvin]

I too would like to get in touch with Denis. Mark Colvin, Presenter, PM, ABC Radio. [email protected]

[Bob Meade]

OK Mark, I'll pass the word along to Denis.

Please let me know when any piece coming from this makes it to air.

[Paul Carter]

G'Day Bob,

Just saw the story in The Age regarding the Denis Cox plan for Australian space flight and wanted to express my pleasure that this letter has remained in existence. I am currently tackling a PhD thesis on early Australian space research (from a history of science point of view) and have examined literally thousands of pages of documents from the relevant players of the period - none like this one though - onward and upward Denis!

Paul Carter, History and Philosophy of Science program, University of Melbourne [email protected]

[Bob Meade]

Hello Paul. Thanks for your comment.

You may be interested to know, if you don't already, that Denis's letter rests at the National Archives of Australia in Series D250.

That is a large series with 7.2 metres held in NSW and 16.2 metres held in SA.

More specifically, his letter comes from "Anonymous and Eccentric Letters part 1"

Perhaps other treasures of the time lay alongside Denis's letter.

Good luck with your research. I would love to read your thesis when it's done.

[lynne jordan]

This is wonderful. Love the christmas party photo!