Zoltán Bay conducted the Moon radar experiment for 75 years - the beginnings and present of Hungarian space activity

Abstract

On 6 February 2021, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of  Professor Zoltán Bay, professor of physics, and his team at  the Tungsram research laboratory detecting the echoes of  radar waves sent to the moon using a revolutionary new  measurement technique. The world-famous experiment, carried out under harsh conditions after the war, also  marked the beginning of Hungarian space activities and  international radar astronomy. The significance of the lunar  radar experiments was that they were the first  scientific studies to be conducted on an extraterrestrial  object. Knowledge of celestial bodies has been based solely  on passive observations for millennia, but microwave technology has also made it possible to physically examine  distant objects. In fact, it was at that time established that  the Moon was an object with material characteristics, at a  well-defined distance from Earth. There are currently a  number of international space industry cooperation and  research projects underway in Hungary, which create more  and more significant Hungarian intellectual and  technological added value every year. The Hungarian space  research and space activity, which now boasts a  history of more than 75 years, has serious potential. This  study aims to present the main participants, projects,  successes and results of Hungarian space activities from  the beginning to the present day.