Moon flights MORE LEARNED FROM SPUTNIKS
by mid-I959? THAN SCIENTISTS EVER KNEW

By SAM RUSSELL
: MOSCOW

Three Soviet scientists are
estimating how near _ they
have got to flights to the
moon as a_ result of the
knowledge amassed from
the first two Sputniks.

Prof. Karl Stanyukovich,
who is a member of the
Seviet Interplanetary Travel
Commision, considers that the
first flight round the moon
could be launched within 18
months to two years.

If one or two more stages
are added to existing ballistic
rockets, he said, the last stage
of such a rocket would reach
a-speed of seven miles per
second, which would be suf-
ficient to get it to the moon.

Powerful explosives in the
nose of such a rocket would
make it possible to observe
from the earth the moment
when the rocket landed and
a spectral analysis of the ex-
plosion would provide an
idea of the composition of
the moon’s surface.

But before such a stage is
reached Prof. Stanyukovich
considered that new Sput-
niks would be slaunched on
even more elliptical orbits,
eventually encircling the
moon and taking pictures of
its dark side.

He said that there was no
doubt that in the future man

will be able to set. up a
splendid astronomical observ-,
atory on the moon, which
might also become an aero-
drome for spaceships.

Prof. Yuri Pobedonostev
considers that flights to the
moon will become possible
within the next decade, and
disclosed that realistic pro-
jects for such flights have al-
ready been worked out by
Soviet scientists.

“In a few weeks,” he said,
sckence has iearned more
about cosmic space than in
the whole preceding history
ot mankind, and the two
Soviet Sputniks have yielded
a wealth of information.”

This includes information
about the temperature of the
upper atmosphere, why the
compass becomes erratic at
great heights, the nature of

terrestrial magnetism, and
many other things.
Future solar observations

will make it possible to verify
the theory that the main
source of light is not the star
proper but the usually invis-
ible corona, and would en-
able astrophysicists to pene-
trate the secrets of exploding
stars and determine the
composition of the atmos-
phere of other planets.

A medical expert, Prof.
Peter Alekhin, said that as

a result of the experience of
space-dog Laika, Soviet scien-
tists now know that human
beings can withstand the ini-
tial shock sustained at the
moment of the launching of
a multi-stage rocket, as well
as the effect of its accelera-
tion in the first few  sec-

onds of flight and until it
enters its orbit.

He said that Soviet scien-
tists have mastered the. meth-
ods of medical and biological
research in the cosmos, and
had designed very efficient
instruments for this.

“Future experiments will

yield still wider results, and
the day is not distant when
the voice of the first man will
be theard from the cosmos,”
said Prof. Alekhin. The first
report by a space-pilot would
be the key to the solution of
the problem of inter-planet-
ary travel.

Pressure growing in Israel for
adoption of neutral policy

Behind the government
crisis in Israel lies far more
than the leakage by one of
the government coalition
parties of a plan to get arms
from West Germany, which
Prime Minister Ben Gurion
gave as the reason for hand-
ing in his government’s resig-
nation.

The larger reason for the
government crisis is the wide-
spread opposition in the coun-
try to having Israel dragged
at the tail of United States
policy. That is why the leak-
age of news about the arms
plan created such a storm and
why Ben Gurion has been
finding it difficult to re-
establish his coalition.

There is new support for a

policy of neutrality which
would insulate Israel from
imperialist intrigue and im-

prove its chances of resolving
the difficult questions of the
Middle East in the interests
of the people who live there.
‘In a recent article in the
journal Kol Haam, Meir Vil-
ner, member of the central
committee of the Israeli Com-
munist party, showed that the
forces around Ben Gurion
still intend to pursue a for-
eign policy of subservience
to the U.S. in the hope of
territorial expansion.

On the other hand, he des-
cribed broader circles of pub-
lic opinion than ever before
insisting on changes of for-
eign policy. Here are some

examples from his article:
The political correspondent
of the paper Yedioth Aharo-
noth, a supporter of the Ben
Gurion group, wrote: “Quite
‘a number of people, who for
many reasons are considered

supporters of Ben Gurion,
criticize his policy toward
Russia, and openly declare

that this policy leads Israel
toward disaster.”

The newspaper Haaretz
which supports the govern-
ment, published an article de-
manding the government fol-
low the example of Finland,
which follows a policy of
neutrality.

Ner, a paper of the intelli-
gentsia, calls for neutrality,
as does the sensational week-
ly Haolam Haze.

Sputnik II is shown at left as a bright man-made star. At right is its passen ger, Laika the space dog.
January 10, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3

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