Dr. Wolfgang Finke studied philosophy and economics at Göttingen, Tübingen and Harvard. From 1957 to 1986, he was an official in Germany’s Federal Ministry for Research and Technology in Bonn. His first direct involvement with space activities came through observing competition for space-related contracts in German industry. In the late 1960s, he chaired the board that selected the prime contractor for the German-American HELIOS solar probe programme and in 1973 he witnessed the same companies (MBB and ERNO) compete for SPACELAB contracts. From 1973, Finke led the Division for Space, Aeronautical Research, Polar Research, Oceanography, and Transportation Systems within the Ministry and in this capacity headed the German delegation to the Council of ESRO and ESA. From 1975 to 1978, he chaired the ESA Council. Finke’s involvement in European space activities came after many of the growing pains of ESRO and ELDO had been resolved and he was thus able to witness many of the fruits of the space programme. These included the launch and operation of the two Helios solar probes, the development of the Ariane launcher series, the development of Spacelab and of telecommunication satellites like the Franco-German Symphonie satellite. He also represented Germany in the preparation of the Rome conference of the ESA Council in 1985. At home, he advocated greater German involvement in the development of new elements of European space transportation systems and criticised the slowness of the decision-making process within government. Disagreement with his Minister led him to leave the civil service in 1986.