This artist’s drawing of an automatic earth-controlled tank exploring the moon’s surface appeared in a Soviet pub- lication last year. Pacific Tribune gave readers ~ The first earth satellite to be successfully launched is the biggest news year. This is reflected in the fact that every newspaper in the western world, - has given it front page prominence for several days Vancouver Province and Sun, Readers of the Pacific Trib- une British Columbia’s lead- ing labor newspaper, were not surprised when the historic an- nouncement was made that the Soviet Union, the pioneer of socialist construction, had sent a miniature space ship around the world. Despite complaints from a few readers that too much space was given to “sci- ence fiction,” the Pacifie Trib- une, for more than two years prior to the official launching carried authentic news reports from Moscow and feature ar- ticles on the actual prepara- tions for the event. These stories and features were read- ily available to daily newspa- pers, but with their inveter- ate bias against socialism they discounted them as propagan- CERTAIN PLANT LIFE EXISTS Soviet scientists are studying Mars As part of an ambitious pro- gram for the conquest of space which envisages Soviet space ships reaching the moon by 1965 and Mars and Venus by 1970, Soviet scientists -have been making a close study of the inner planets. One of the many questions they have sought to clear up in their observations is wheth- er any life exists on Mars. G. Tikhov, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, has concluded that vegetable life undoubtedly does exist there. He writes that the Alma Ata Observatory has taken many photographs of~the surface and particular regions of Mars in their spectra. : “One of the main conclusions to be drawn from our conclu-~- sions,” he says, “is that there is vegetable life on the planet. This much can be said with certainty. 5 “It would not, of course, necessarily reserhble vegetable life-on the Earth. “The adaptibility of organic life to its’ environment‘is in- finitely great: Mars has water. It is surrounded with an at- mosphere which, apparently, consists principally of nitro- gen, carbon dioxide and negli- gible quanties of oxygen: “Temperatures of 10 to 25 degrees Centigrade above zero have been recorded on the planet over a period of nearly six terrestrial months and at- mospheric precipitations have been observed. Thus, the planet. has the mininium con- ditions life. “Martian vegetation- may breathe oxygen that is con- tained in the soil or is releas- ed during the process of photo- synthesis, as marsh and water ‘plants do on the Earth. Nor necessary for plant can we altogether rule out the. possibility of the lower layers of the Martian atmosphere con- taining much -more oxygen than the upper layers. “The question of life on other planets and of its forms is now of more than merely theoretical importance, since the question of interplanetary flights is now being seriously considered.” xt xt xt N. Barabashov, of the Uk- rainian Academy of Sciences, writes that Soviet astronom- ers have obtained interesting data enriching our knowledge of Mars, the nature of. its “seas,” “dry land,” the polar caps and the atmosphere. “It has been confirmed, for instance,” he says, “that the planet’s surface is flat, with- out any elevations similar to our mountain ranges. Nor have any ‘depressions’ been observ- ed there. _ “It fas been established at the same time that the surface of the Martian ‘seas’ is even. This is yet another confirma- tion of the possibility of vege- tation existing in certain ‘seas’.” He also says that Soviet and other astronomers have observed ; clouds moving at speeds of up to 25-30 kilomet- ers an hour (approximately 15% to 18% mph), confirming the existence of air currents in the Martian atmosphere. Referring to the light-col- ored strips and spots first ob- served -by the Kharkov Ob-" Servatory on August 23, last year, Barabashoy says that they can be explained by the precipitation of snow or rime, or by low-lying mist. reset x Professor Vseyolod Sharanoyv vice-chairman of the Planets Committee of the Astronomi- cal Council of the USSR Aca- demy of Sciences, recently re- ported to the USSR Geophy- sical Society on the results of the Martian observations.’ Preliminary reports from the Soviet observatories which had conducted Martian obser- vations last year indicated, he said, that dense yellow fogs had* become widespread“ in the Martian atmosphere. At one time they enveloped the equatorial zones of the planet, making the dark patches of the “seas” almost invisible, and at another time the polar areas, blotting out the white polar snow-caps. Professor Sharanov said that since the color of the haze was very much like the orange tinted desert expanses of the so-called Martian continents, it would be natural to assume that it consisted of dust and sand swept up by winds. Large quantities of dust could certainly aecumulate on the planet’s surface because "But reports on Soviet satellite On May 6, 1956, a Pacific Tribune science feature in« formed its readers: “In confirmation, Alexander Nesmayanov, of the Soviet Ac- ademy of Sciences, said re- cently that science has now reached the stage where rock- ets to the moon and space sta- tions had become practicable.” On August 5, a Pacific Tribune despatch from Més- cow said: “A year ago, work began in the Soviet Union on the world’s first cosmic ship.” On_ January ‘23, 1956, Sam Russell’s despatch from Mos- cow reported that a leading So- viet interplanetary Scientist had declared: “We can now of the extremely dry climate. it would need strong winds to keep this dust sus- pended in the air for -weeks on end and to carry it over distances of thousands of kilo- metres, : The studies had therefore shown that the atmosphere of Mars was extremely disturb- ed and stormy last year, a Cd Turning to the general re- sults of the observations, Pro- fessor -Sharonov emphasized that they had added consid- erably to knowledge of this. as yet mysterious planet and had produced valuable data for theoretical research. Fi é 0 ry ait the | including hf ning say that the possibility OT terplanetary communica! é has reached the stage of pra tical reality.” par On June 14 of this yeah cific Tribune readers We? ‘i formed in a Moscow ae that “Soviet scientist sat ready to launch the first ibu- ellite as part of their contt! Bs tion to the international ” search program. Professor Mameyanov, of the Soviet Academy of Sciencé aif quoted. “He said that many years of work, scientists had produced éts and all the other nee . equipment for launching a a satellite which will Ey a distance of some hundr? miles around the earth. park- sc0 Un- soviel rock On August 26, Ralph er, also writing from Mo disclosed that the Soviet ‘sé ion was seriously tackline ~ i : e _ difficult problems involv f making it possible to 5°? mans around the world, ON : the moon, in a space * t “Soviet scientists have de animals up into cosmic ae 300 miles: above the earl Ki. was disclosed here this ip in 4 The animals were sent UP oe specially constructed sp ship.” It’s one more proof of ey fact that readers of the P# fic Tribune consistently 525 the news that really cou?” in good time. Satellite may be ‘turning : point, declares Tim Buck “The Soviet Union’s successful launching VICTORIA, a of the first satellite could well mark the turning point in internane relations between the East and West,” Tim Buck, LPP natlo leader, told an audience in Victoria’s Newstead Hall on Fri day last week. “This could be the begining of ‘cooperation between social- ism’ and capitalism; .the first s‘ep badly needed,” he declar- ed-at' the meeting which com- pleted a B.C. tour that had in- cluded meetings at Vancouver, Surrey,-Nanaimo and Port Al- berni in addition to the capital. “T believe all who are in- terested in socialism will be gratified that Soviet scientists have been the first in sending up a satellite,” he said. “The - - first move in cooperatio® ee tween scientists’ will ee come from the Soviet bey I hope.another country, P© sibly the United States, send up a satellite and all countries will share the information they get from fot satellites with each othe? ~, the benefit of al] mankin® Buck paid a tribute to the great progress made by sic Soviet Union in the scientt field. : that the October 11, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE ”