Pacts on the Soyuz-21 space flight

The problems of

space docking |

The following discussion took
place at the Flight Control Centre
of the Baikonur Cosmodrome two
days after the lift-off July 6 of
Soyuz-21 with a crew of two —
commander Boris Volynov and
flight engineer Vitaly Zholobov.
APN special correspondent
Mikhail Chernyshov sends this
report on the problems involved
in space docking.

oF >

Q. Why did the spaceship moor
to space station Salyut-5 only a day
after lift-off? Was it possible to
speed up the operation?

A. Docking process is very
labor-consuming. To bring the
craft together and create a single
orbital complex requires carrying
out many operations. An orbiting

spacecraft originally moves in an
elliptical path. It is necessary,
first of all, by means of precise
measurements, to circularize its
orbit with the aid of corrective
impulses.

In this particular case the job
was made easier because the sta-
tion and the spacecraft had very
good starting positions and be-
cause the crew acted efficiently.

Q. How did the docking pro-
ceed?

A. Usually a spacecraft is
launched into a lower orbit than
that of the station, so the former is
“‘behind”’ the latter. The space-
ship is assigned an “‘active’’ role:

by switching on its engines it ac-'

celerates, catches up with the sta-

tion and rises to a higher orbit.
There are two stages of

rendez-vous — initial and termi-

nal. In the first stage the ground
crew plays a key role because the
cosmonauts can’t see the station.
All the calculations involved
Switching on engines and deciding
how long they should run are
done together with ground con-
trol. The crew’s role at this stage
is to orient the craft properly.
Q. When does the terminal stage
begin and what are its features?
A. It starts when the distance
between the craft is about 25
kilometers. Here the most impor-
tant thing is the relative speeds of
the two ships and the distance be-
tween them. When it becomes
several hundred metres, the sta-
tion automatically sends out sig-
nals and the spaceship, guided by
them, approaches the station.
Here also, humans play a role,
controlling the means of automa-

tion and being able to forecast the
course of events. s
Q. Wouldn’t it be better to en-
trust these operations to humans?
A. No, because man alone ‘at
such distances may find it difficult
to calculate maneuvers and fuel
consumption would be too great.
Man assumes control when the
distance narrows to about 100
metres and the station is visible to

-would have been done at night. It

Commander B.V. Volynov (R) and flight engineer V.M. Zholobov I!)
training before the flight of Soyuz-21. :

Docking is possible either if}
“‘daylight’’, that is in the illumh)

nated part of the earth, or in the
shade — in the ‘space night
The program of this flight envis
aged the first variant, but in thé
event of problems, the dockins

should also be said that under the
Soviet space program purely au”

tomatic dockings’ have been 1 |

as

By ERIK BERT |

The new stage in the history of Viet-
nam is a stage of the socialist revolution,
Le Duan, first secretary of the Vietnam
Working People’s Party, pointed out in
his political report to the combined Viet-
nam National Assembly which met in
Hanoi the last week of June.

Le Duan pointed out that in 1960 the
Third Congress of the VWPP had
worked out the strategic line of develop-
ment of socialist for North Vietnam.

Following the complete liberation of
the South the Party concluded that the
following factors were decisive for the
‘Situation in the country: Vietnam had
achieved peace, independence and
unity, Le Duan said.

This developed under the leadership
of the VWPP, under the conditions of
dictatorship of the proletariat, firm al-
liance of the working class and the
peasantry, the alliance which provides
the foundation of the national united
front and of the revolutionary power of
the people.

“The entire country is moving now
from small commodity production, by-
passing the stage of capitalist develop-
ment, to socialist large-scale produc-
tion.”’

Le Duan declared: ‘Through the vic-
tory of our people in the résistance
struggle against U.S. aggression, for
liberation of the homeland, the great-
est counteroffensive since the Second
World War of the main imperialist
power against the revolutionary streams,
the global counter-revolutionary
strategy of U.S. imperialism suffered a
serious blow, its front line in the area of
Southeast Asia was ruptured, imperial-
ism was compelled to retreat, that three
revolutionary streams of our epoch were
strengthened and their offensive position
was Solidified.”’

“We take this occasion,”’ he told the
assembly, *‘to thank wholeheartedly the
Soviet Union and the other fraternal

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JULY 30, 1976—Page 6

Leaders of the new Socialist Republic of Vietnam: from left to
right President Ton Duc Thang, former chief of state in the north;
Vice-President Nguyen Luong Bang; Vice-President Nguyen Huu
Tho, previously chairman of the National Front for Liberation inthe

the spaceship.

ON THE PATH TO SOCIALISM:

Vietnam’s -

socialist countries, who gave our strug-
gle powerful and effective support, and
who continue to help us, in healing the
wounds of war and to build up social-
ism.”

Socialism, he said, is the historically
necessary path of the Vietnamese revo-
lution; it is also the road that corresponds
to the laws of development of human
society in the present epoch, the epoch of
the transition from capitalism to social-
ism on a world scale.

In our epoch, since socialism is the
only way for the solution of all problems
which stand in the way of mankind’s
progress, national independence and
socialism cannot be separated one from
the other, they are closely linked with
one another, Le Duan said.

Only under socialism can Vietnam
possess a modern economy and culture,
a progressive science, as well as strong
defenses, and achieve independence for
all time and a happy life. \

Following the liberation of South
Vietnam, the Central Committee of the
Vietnam Working people’s Party; based
on the experience of the socialist revolu-
tion in North Vietnam, and in the light of
the new situation, proposed a general
revolutionary cqurse for the whole coun-
try, and posed concrete tasks for the
North and the South in the new stage of

ae

Assembly.

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ee ee

south; Pham Van Dong, prime minister, who although a southerner
by origin, had served for many years as-premier in the north; and
Truong Chinh, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National

peaceful revolution

the Vietnamese revolution.

Le Duan said, ‘‘It is necessary to work
out a system for guiding and planning in
the South; to improve and complete the
system of guidance and planning in the
North, as well as to establish with maxi-
mum effort a united’system of leadership
and guidance for the entire country.”’

“The right of the working people to
participate, at whose focal point is the
alliance between the workers and the
peasants, will be realized through state

power under the leadership of the van- ~

guard of the working class, its party —
that is the dictatorship of the proletariat.
Our state is, therefore, a state of the dic-
tatorship of the proletariat.

“We are attempting,’’ said Le Duan,
“to complete in the nation, within 15 or
20 years, the task of creating in our coun-
try the material-technological foundation
for socialism. In realizing our economic
policy, it is necessary to develop further
the socialist production relations in the
North and to speed up the transforma-
tion of production relations in the South,
so that both parts of the country come
together on the foundation of socialism.

To this end it is necessary in the North
to employ all forces for the development
and strengthening of the state sector and
of the cooperative economy and their
close ties, as well as to organize the

Pa

poe” ye ARETE a?
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Paietnatiinecacateiesineunnsaneatecees

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- laboration with the countries of South- |

Sane ‘i a Mewacune, as oe ee PRL LLL ILL Te ae ae ae a ee Ae

peatedly performed.

guidance of private and small enter
prises. q

‘In the South it is necessary,’ L¢}
Duan said, “in addition to the rapid
elimination of the bureaucratic an
military-comprador bourgeoisie and thé
remnants of the classes of the feud
landlords, to punish sharply and remové |
the speculators who monopolize com |
modities, upset the market, and utilizé
some of the difficulties which have arise#
since liberation in order to enrich them:
selves at the expense of the population. |

Le Duan called for utilizing all forces
for the creation, development, an¢
Strengthening of a strong state sectol
in industry, agriculture, construction,
transport and trade, and to transform thé
capitalist into a socialist sector, through
the creation of mixed enterprises, as wel
as through the state guidance of privaté
production which serves the people.

“We will march shoulder to shouldet |
with the socialist countries and thé |
peoples of the whole world, who aré
carrying on a tireless struggle for peace;
national liberation and socialism. }

‘We will support actively the struggle
of the peoples of the world against the
imperialist, colonialist, and. neo- |
colonialist forces with American im |
perialism at the head. At the same timé |
we will make an active contribution t0
the strengthening of the fighting unity
and relations of cooperation, of mutu
help, among all revolutionary forces.

“‘We will make our contribution to
strengthening the solidarity of the social |
ist lands with the international com |
munist movement, to strengthening the 7
anti-imperialist front of the peoples of thé
entire world.”’

Le Duan emphasized the determina
tion of the people of Vietnam to strength: |
en fighting solidarity and mutual trust, tO |
develop long range relations of col-
laboration and mutual help with the
peoples of Laos and Cambodia.

‘‘We support the just struggle of thé
peoples of Southeast Asia for national
independence, democracy, and soci
progress. We are ready to support thé |
development of the countries of this area |
as genuinely independent, peaceful and |
neutral countries, on whose territories |
there are no imperialist military bases”
and troops.

‘‘We are ready to establish and de-_
velop relations of friendship and col-

mere

east Asia on the basis of respect for the |
independence, sovereignty and _terri-
torial integrity, of non-aggression, of
non-interference in internal’ affairs, oD |
the basis of equality, mutual advantage |
and peaceful coexistence.” 3

Daily Worl q :

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