On February 23, 1962, delegations of twelve European nations, meeting in Paris, agreed on a draft convention for the creation of the European Space Research Organization (ESRO) with a program to cost $280 million.1 The member nations to the agreement were Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and West Germany. Sir Harrie Massey (United Kingdom), chairman of the conference, stated that the draft convention would be submitted to the governments for signature in the following two or three months. The delegates also agreed to prolong the life of the European Preparatory Commission for Space Research. The committee would continue its planning work so that ESRO could begin functioning as soon as it was established. The group was to cooperate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States and was to be in close touch with the International Committee on Space Research. ESRO's program was to involve the firing of sounding rockets and various kinds of satellite-launching vehicles.