The Belgians started dreaming very early on of the stars and the infinite space where they could

give way to their imagination. At first it was in the field of literature, in an artform they excelled

in: the comic strip. Later, it materialized in scientific and technological research of the highest level,

shrewdly spread out through the entire country, and before soon they had won the recognition of

their European partners. But it was on the political scene that Belgians would truly lift the spirits.

Belgians in Space seeks to rekindle that collective memory, that shared imagination, and not only with

the players of that time, those who witnessed the birth of the European Space Agency (ESA), but also

with the young people of today as they see how the European Union has become such a key player

in the European space effort. The role played by the Federal Science Policy (the administration in

charge of space research and its applications) and by other departments as well as individual players

at both national and international level, epitomize Belgium's commitment in a sector that has an everlasting

future.

Whether or not we believe in space, whether we devote genuine passion or simply a passing interest

to it, every day we use the tools that have been developed for more than 40 years as part of European

and international cooperation agreements. Telecommunications, navigation, the Earth's observation,

science and technology are a common good, a global reality we strive to bring to all.

We asked four writers, journalists and historians to take their pen and tell the tale (an illustrated tale

that is) of Belgium's adventure in space, from the beginning of the space age to ESA's 30th anniversary

and Belgium's 175th anniversary.