A-Z of European Space

The first decades: 1959-1994

Personalities Organisations Projects

 

  • 1930s? – Degree in Law from the University of Paris and graduated from Sciences Po
  • 1935 – began his career as a diplomat; attache at the French embassy in Los Angeles, USA, from 1938–1939
  • 1941 onwards – joined the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, subsequent diplomatic posts to Denmark, Morocco, the UK and the United Nations (as Deputy Permanent Representative)
  • 1969-1973 – French Ambassador to Portugal
  • 1975-1979 – Permanent Representative of France to NATO Council
  • 1978 – Given the honorary title of Ambassador of France
  • 1950s - PhDs in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering from Sapienza University of Rome
  • 1959-1964 - Polytechnic Institute of New York, and the GASL (General Applied Sciences Laboratory), Westbury, New York
  • 1964-1969 - Head of Research at the Centro delle Ricerche Aerospaziali
  • 1969-1974 - Director of Space Activities of the CNR and consultant for the Ministero della Ricerca Scientifica
  • 1975-1998 – Various positions in ESA

During Trella’s time at the CNR in Rome, he was responsible for the Italian participation in ELDO and ESRO as an Italian delegate. On ESA’s creation he became Technical Inspector, Paris, in 1975, and in 1978 was appointed Technical Director of ESA, Paris, and Director of the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Noordwijk, Holland. He was ESA’s Inspector General from 1984 to 1998.

  • 1946-1952 - Studies in physics at the Berlin Technical University and Freiburg-im-Bresnau University
  • 1955 - Research Physicist at Westinghouse Research Laboratories in Pittsburgh, USA
  • 1958-1964 - Balzers AG, establishing the ultra-high vacuum programme and, from 1962, Head of the Physics Laboratory
  • 1964 - Director of ESRO-ESLAB, ESA Director of Scientific Programmes from 1975-1983

In 1964 Trendelenburg was appointed Director of ESRO’s European Space Research Laboratory (ESLAB), base for the project scientists liaising between national groups flying experiments on the organisation’s satellites and sounding rockets, and the engineering groups at ESTEC. He was appointed the first ESA Director of Scientific Programmes by the ESA Council in 1975 and held this post until his retirement in 1983. In this role he forged links with space scientists in many countries, including the Soviet Union and put Giotto into the ESA programme when NASA pulled out of a proposed joint mission.