The scientific rationale for variable star observations from outside the Earth’s atmosphere will be discussed, followed by a review and discussion of existing observational techniques with reference to their capabilities and limitations. Existing techniques to be discussed will cover aircraft-, balloon-, rocket- and satellite-borne experiments, and observations thus far obtained will also be reviewed. Experiments, planned or under consideration, and also future prospects of obtaining variable star observations from outside the terrestrial atmosphere will be discussed.

Six-color ultraviolet photoelectric observations of Beta Lyrae obtained with OAO-2 are presented. These observations, made at 1380 Ǡ, 1500 Ǡ, 1920 Ǡ, 2460 Ǡ, 2980 Ǡ, and 3330 Ǡ, represent the first truly continual coverage of the light changes of Beta Lyrae during one orbital revolution and were obtained in November 1970. The photometric data are supplemented by spectral scans in the wavelength intervals 3800 Ǡ to 1800 Ǡ and 2000 Ǡ to 1050 Ǡ; the latter interval was scanned at 10 Ǡ resolution once during every OAO-2 orbit, i. e., about 100 minutes. Anomalous features, such as asymmetries and short and long term variations, are present in the light curves. A tentative discussion of solutions of the light curves is given. The problems of combining the photometric and spectroscopic information to arrive at a model of the system are also discussed.

At first, I have to thank Dr. STROHMEIER sincerely for his invitation to the fifth colloquium on variable stars.

After SHAPLEY recognized the variable stars as a very useful tool in obtaining the distribution of stars in the galactic system, Dr. HOFFMEISTER was one of the first to investigate the distribution of variable stars by the aid of series of photographic plates of selected regions in the Galaxy. At his observatory at Sonneberg he and his collaborators took many plates which were searched for variables and on which the brightness of these stars was estimated and their distribution studied. The results of these studies are published in a long series of papers in the Sonneberg publications.