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Soviet-U.S. space cooperation

Cosmonauts get together

MOSCOW (APN) — Eighteen

months have passed since the~

signing of the bilateral agree-
ment on the joint flight of Soyuz
and :Apollo spaceships, A great
deal has since been done-
Preparations for the | forth-
coming experiment is in full
swing. The difficulties of creat-
ing a single system of search-
ing and docking are being suc-
cessfully overcome. The dock-
ing units are ready, in the main.
Soviet-American joint groups
consisting of highly-skilled en-

ineers and designers have
thoroughly checked them on
the ground.

In the summer of 1973 Soviet
cosmonauts visited the . U.S.
space centre in Houston. In Oc-
tober 1973 a group of U.S. ex-
perts arrived in the Soviet space
centre near Moscow.

The technical directors, both
Soviet and American—Prof. K.
Bushuyev and Dr. G. Lunney,
say the main stages of work
over the project are proceeding
strictly according to the plan.

Soyuz and Apollo

During the talks questions to

be solved were first discussed:
the differences of Soyuz and
Apollo spaceships as to design
and habitation conditions; the
= cabin of the U.S. spaceship is
filled with pure oxygen, where-
as in Soyuz the air ycomposition
practically resembles that on

Commander of Soviet space
crew number one in the Soyuz-
Apollo project, Pilot-Cosmonaut
of the USSR, A. A. Leonov.

the earth; the pressure in Apollo
is lower and in Soyuz is analo-
gous to that on the earth.
Soviet experts thought it pos-
sible to reduce pressure and
change the composition of the
air in order to reduce the time
needed for adaptation during
the change-over of cosmonauts
from one spaceship to another.
The work started in Houston
is continued by joint training in
the Gagarin Cosmonauts. Train-
ing Centre in the Soviet. Union.
With this aim in view, Amer-
ican astronauts arrived in Mos-

Thank Canadian women:
for continuing Viet aid

During the war in Vietnam,
and now in the reconstruction
period, the Knitting Project of
the Ontario Voice of _Women,
ably directed by Mrs. Lil Greene
of Toronto, has provided much-
needed clothing for Vietnamese
-children.

Recently, writing in apprecia-
tion to Mrs. Greene and, through
her to all those who have parti-
cipated, the Vietnam Women’s
Union said in part: -

“Throughout our people’s long
struggle for national indepen-
dence, freedom and peace, we
have enjoyed the sympathy and
support of the Canadian people,
in particular Canadian women.
Therefore, it is perfectly right
to say that you have contributed
to .the signing of the Paris
Agreement ending the war, re-
storing peace in Vietnam,

“At the very moment when
our people had won the epoch-
making victory, we received
your letter of congratulations in
which you expressed your sym-

“namese women,

pathy and continued support for

“We fought to ensure the happiness of our children,

our efforts to heal the wounds
of war. We. highly appreciate
the movement initiated by you
and which is very popular not
only in Canada, but has also
spread to the USA.

“What a significant comfort
for us when, during the years of
U.S. bombardment of our coun-
try, we received the pretty
clothing, and beautiful quilts
you sent to our children from
across the ocean. Your acts have
considerably encouraged us in
our vhard struggle. You may
rightly be proud of your contri-
bution to our common success.

“It is an honor for us, Viet- -
to have such
great friends as you who have
persistently supported us in our

struggle for national salvation

against the U.S. aggression. We

would like once again to express .

to you and to the Canadian wo-
men our Vietnamese people’s
deep gratitude.”

The letter is signed’ by Vo

Thi The, of the Vietnam
Women’s Union.

say the

people of liberated. areas of South Vietnam.

. three

cow in November for a stay of
two weeks. The delegation in-
cluded two crews of American
astronauts: T. Stafford, D. Slay-
ton, V. Brand, A. Bean, R.
Evans and J, Lousma.

The group of U.S. astronauts
was headed by 43-year-old Bri-
gadier-General of the U.S: Force
Thomas Stafford. He will be
commander of Apollo during the
joint flight: Stafford has made
space flights, including
the around-the-moon flight in
1969.

The joint training will go on
through the summer of 1974 in-
cluding a study of Soyuz and
settling the questions of search,
approach, docking and locking,
communication and life-support-
ing systems, particularly, speci-
fic factors of water supply. On
Soyuz there is a stock of drink-
ing water while on Apollo it is
obtained during the operation
of fuel elements. It is quite clear

A group of U.S. spacemen visit the USSR’s Museum of Space
Exploration History in Kaluga. Centre is T. S. Stafford, flanked left
and right by Soviet cosmonauts A. Filipchenko and Alexei Leonov.

that cosmonauts will have to
make a thorough study of both
systems.

The joint flight of Soviet and
American cosmonauts is due to
take place at 3:37 p.m. on July
15, 1975. Soviet cosmonauts will

Yugoslavia-USSR meet
stresses urgent tasks

Although it happened in mid.
November, the meeting of Soviet
and Yugoslav leaders in Kiev
remains newsworthy for the ex-
tent to which its communique
shows a fresh unity of views on
many world problems.

Agreeing “that the pooling of
all progressive, anti-imperialist

forces’ is an imperative demand .

of the times,’ the two states,
represented by Communist Party
General Secretary Leonid Brezh-
nev of the USSR, and for Yugo-
slavia, Josip Broz Tito, presi-
dent of Yugoslavia, and chair-
man of the League of Commu-
nists, spoke out sharply on the
most urgent international mat-
ters.

Reporting from Kiev, Oleg
Stroganov of the Soviet Novosti
Press Agency (APN), who sup-

plied the information for. this ar- .

ticle, says that the two sides,
noting the instability of the Mid-
dle East ceasefire, stress that
the moment has come when a
radical turn towards peace
should be made.

The Yugoslav leader stated

that Yugoslavia rates highly the ©

Soviet aid given to the Arab
countries in their just struggle

for the realization of their legi-

timate. rights.

Along with socialist, non-
aligned and other peace-loving
countries, Yugoslavia pledges its
full support to the liberation
struggle of the Arab peoples in
the interests of a just and dur-
able peace in this region.

The communique stresses the
importance of the task of ex-
tinguishing the seat of war in
the Middle East on the basis of
the speediest implementation of
UN Security Council Resolution
242 of November 22, 1967, in all.
its provisions. :

Strongly denouncing Israel’s
aggressive actions against the
Arab countries and Israeli gross
violations of the Security Coun-
cil resolutions on a ceasefire and

» a return of troops to pre-October

22 positions, the Soviet Union
and Yugoslavia point to the dan-
gerous consequences of Israeli
adventurist actions.

The communique calls for Is-
raeli troop withdrawal from all
occupied Arab territories, the

rights of the Arab peoples fully’

‘Vietnam,

ensured, and the legitimate na-
tional rights of the Arab people
of Palestine also realized.

The USSR and Yugoslavia are
of the opinion, they state, that
a just and durable political set-
tlement of this conflict can be
attained only on this basis, on
the basis of respect for the inde-
pendence, sovereignty and terri-
torial integrity of all Middle East
‘states.

The sides stressed that at pres-
ent it is urgent to pool the efforts
of broad sections of the world
public to consolidate the posi-
tive trends in international. rela-
tions and make détente irrevers-
ible. In this connection they
stressed the great significance -of
the Moscow World Congress of
Peace Forces, whose ideas and
calls will facilitate the inflow of
new segments of the public to
the peace movement.

Discussing other struggles for
‘peace and progress, the Soviet
and Yugoslav leaders turned to
pledging continued
assistance to the Democratic Re-
public of Vietnam in restoring
the country’s national economy
and building socialism, and effec-
tive support for the Provisional
Revolutionary Government of
the Republic of South Vietnam.

They noted gross violations of
the Paris agreement by the Sai- .
gon regime, and demanded strict
observance of this agreement,
and protection of the sovereign-
ty and legitimate rights of the

peoples of Vietnam, Laos and

Cambodia.

The meeting also discussed
Chile, the two countries stating
their full solidarity with the Chi-
lean people’s struggle. On Euro-
pean security they agreed that
the final stage should be a sum-
mit level conference; and they
urged practical steps in. Euro-
pean arms reduction.

Both seek a speeding up of a
world disarmament conference, -
and support the Algiers Non-
Aligned Nations Conference call
for gradual cuts in arms budgets
and the use of part of the funds
for aid to developing countries.

Yugoslavia supports the So-
viet UN proposal for a 10% cut
in military spending of perma-
nent members of the UN Secur-
ity Council. Sisley tede3
7 5 22 uePACHEC TREUNE

start first, and Americans —
seven-and-a-half hours later.
The flight program provides for
the docking of Soviet and Ame-
rican spaceships, and joint work
by the crews during 48 hours.
Soviet and American cosmo-
nauts will carry out telecasts
and take numerous movies and
still photos. .

“Soviet cosmonauts,” said
Alexei Leonov — commander of
Soyuz — “refer to the program
as a ‘meeting on the Elbe’ in
outer space. In 1945 Soviet and
American soldiers by their meet-
ing on the River Elbe in Ger-
many keynoted the victory over
fascism. Thirty years later, by
an original space ‘meeting on
the Elbe’ Soviet and American
cosmonauts would like to mark
the victory over the cold war.”

ma es

| British at it

E

Soviet aid for -
Hanoi industry

The USSR produces more

‘than 350,000 tons of steel and

250,000 tons of rolled metal per
day. All electric power stations
of the USSR turn out about
2,500. million kilowatt-hours a
day. More than 2,000 tractors
come off the production lines of
Soviet plants each day, and the
daily oil output exceeds one mil-
lion tons. Each day Soviet fac-
tories turn out some 30 million
square metres of cotton fabrics,
and over 6 million pieces of
knitted wear. Daily, Soviet peo-
ple move in to more than 9,000
new apartments. (In the metric
system. a. ton,equals 2,200 Ibs.)

=; FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7,.1973--PAGE 9