  We have used VSOP space very long baseline interferometry observations to
measure the brightness temperature distribution of a well-defined sub-set of
the Pearson-Readhead sample of extragalactic radio sources. VLBI which is
restricted to Earth-diameter baselines is not generally sensitive to emitting
regions with brightness temperatures greater than approximately $10^{12}$ K,
coincidentally close to theoretical estimates of brightness temperature limits,
$10^{11} - 10^{12}$ K. We find that a significant proportion of our sample have
brightness temperatures greater than $10^{12}$ K; many have unresolved
components on the longest baselines, and some remain completely unresolved.
These observations begin to bridge the gap between the extended jets seen with
ground-based VLBI and the microarcsecond structures inferred from intraday
variability, evidenced here by the discovery of a relationship between intraday
variability and VSOP-measured brightness temperature, likely due to the effects
of relativistic beaming. Also, lower limits on jet Lorentz factors, estimated
from space VLBI observations, are starting to challenge numerical simulations
that predict low Lorentz factor jets.
