Approved For Release 2000/08/08 ; : CURE 16-00789R000400400002-2 Oe Soviet Rocket Falls to Earth Tn Canada : Associated Press A Soviet rocket crashed in north- , “eastern Canada yesterday, lighting ‘up ‘the sky from New Mexico to Michigan as it fell out of orbit, a De- fense Department spokesman said. No injuries or damage were re- ported, __ The craft, which plummeted to Earth at about 1 am. EDT, was Taunched by the Soviets on Aug. 18 to carry a Gorizont communications satellite into orbit, according to _. . Maj, Alex Mondragon, spokesman . “ty for the North American Aerospace ” “ Defense Command and the U.S, _ Space Command, speaking from Pe- ‘terson Air Force Base near Color- : ado Springs. _. © He said the rocket was probably -:« an SL12, one of the Soviets’ work- - horse models. " It’s not unusual for a rocket ‘a body not to stay in orbit,” he said. “There’s nothing to keep it there.” ~ The craft was tracked by officials’ at the U.S. Space Surveillance Cen- ter at Cheyenne Mountain in Col- rado, where about 7,200 space ve- G mau SL ce LOQESAT ‘aUL “UOA ‘SUOO}IOG 2 Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400400002-2
Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-0 | 1 cr SPACE ~——, Lost Among the Stars Lg Ceeeg fy fCCQL CSAIF | A falling Soviet satellite raises global fears the Soviet Union launched Cosmos 1900 last December. But in April the spy satellite had become another piece of silent, celestial garbage: for unknown rea- sons, the Soviets lost radio contact with their craft. So, for about four months, Cos- mos 1900 has flown without guidance from its ground controllers, slowly slipping its orbit and sinking closer to Earth. Cosmos T: help keep track of U.S. Navy vessels, | 1900 is due to re-enter the atmosphere sometime in the next eight weeks. On board is a nuclear reactor fired by 110 pounds of enriched uranium, enough ra- dioactive material to cause several hun- dred cases of cancer if it re-enters over a ‘| populated area. By all accounts, the odds favor an un- eventful return. Tass maintains that safety systems are on board the flight. And satel- lites typically burn upon re-entry. In all, niné nuclear-powered craft, both U.S. and Soviet, have failed to achieve orbit or other- Neither Bird Not he uncertain fate of Cosmos 1 slowly drifting out of control't Earth’s atmosphere, underscores the growing.-:... | threat from’ radioactive space debri wise re-entered the atmosphere. Despite the long odds against such a mishap, nucle- ar experts and civil-defense people around the globe are preparing for a nervous cou- ple of hours. Only 120 minutes before re- entry will scientists know precisely where the craft will impact. The uncertain fate of Cosmos 1900 has raised anew the question of why mankind is putting lethal material into the heavens. “All together these incidents present a pat- tern which suggests that this technology is unnecessarily dangerous,” says Steven Af- tergood, director of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, a Los Angeles-based pub- lic-interest group. Last May the Federation of American Scientists and the Committee of Soviet Scientists Against the Nuclear Threat jointly proposed a ban on orbiting nuclear reactors. To date the Soviet Union has launched more than 380 nuclear-powered Ra- dar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellites (RORSAT’s). The RORSAT’s are placed in a relatively low orbit, about 150 miles up, which makes them vulnerable to re- entry. When a satellite’s useful life ends, ground control is sup- posed to direct it into a higher, safer orbit, where it can circle the globe for hundreds of years while its radioactivity decays. The United States also has used nuclear power in space, re- lying mainly on radioisotopes to provide the electricity aboard 23 spacecraft including flights to the moon and Mars. The last U.S. nuclear-powered space- craft was launched in 1977. For the moment, space is not likely to become a nuclear-free zone. The Soviets have shown Total launches (1957-1988) "9,800 ést 1,800 est. 2,000.est. Still in orbit Decayed no sign of redesigning their spy satellites. And since 1983 the United States has been devel- Total nuclear launches* (1961-1988) Failure to orbit Re-entered Still in orbit 39 Soviet... 3.U.S.; 2. Soviet OUS., 4 Soviet 9U.S,, 33 Soviet oping plans for the next gener- ation of nuclear-fueled space- craft. Among other things, the Strategic Defense Initiative relies on nuclear power. If a disaster happens, to para- Orbiting trackable debris phrase the poet, the fault will ‘ALSO INCLUDES PLANETARY AND LUNAR MISSIONS. SOURCES: NASA, COMMITTEE TO BRIDGE THLE GAP 5,407 pieces © lie not in the stars but with ourselves. Connig LESLIE with Mary Hacer in Washington 0789R000400400002-2 Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP9600789R600400460002-2.