The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-01-25

-. V V @ apparent that tremendous new Bcl- entlhc possibilities had been opened up,
 The signal Corps had been study ing "the problem of reaching other celestial bodies with radar" for sev- eral years. But when the moon contact was actually made, Maj, Gen. Harry c. rnglee, chief signal ofilcer of the Army, held up revela- tion of what had happened until the corps was certain beyond a doubt V
 Tn finally announcing mans new- est projection of his intelligence into space, the War Department put no curhs on the imagination. It sug- gested these peacetlme possibilities:
 1. Accurate typographical map ping of the Moon and planets, and determination of "the com. position and atmospheric charac- terlstlcs" of earth's rlelghbors.
 9. Measurement and analysis of the lonosphere, which envelopes the Earth in charged layers be- ginning about 3e miles above the ground and extends upward about 25J miles. The rebounding of low and medium frequency radio waves from the lower ionosphere is what makes long distance broadcastlng possible on earth.
 3. Radio control from the earth's surface of space ships venturing thousands of miles from the earth, and the radio reporting of astronomical data electronic- ally computed aboard such ves- sels."
 Radio To Control Missiles
 And if war comes again, lone obvious possibility the War De- partn1ent said, Ifs the radio con. trol of long-rang jet- or rockV.- propelled missiles, circling the earth above the stratosphere."
 Even before the Signal Corps preached the atmospheric prison which heretofore has kept most radio waves earthbound, the Air Forces G q 'S. H. Arnold had fore- cast armaGas of space ships firing atomic missiles at planetary targets from solar space.
 During World War IT, the Ger mans V-2 rocket weapon reached an altitude of GO miles, far above the lower ionosphere, and military authorities since have predicted greatly more powerful missiles in the foreseeable future.
 Elaboration Tool
 At Cambridge, Mass, pr. Harlow Shapley of the Harvard college ob- servatory said the Armys new radar technique would provide "an inter- csting tool in exploring the solar system" He was skeptical about it's usefulness in planetary discov- cry but said it will aid us in the study of meteoric material in the vicinity of the earth
 One Army source here foresaw she possibility of giant new strides toward an understanding of cosmic rays. the mysterious packets of en- ergy which come from the depths of the universe. Many scientists believe cosmic rays carry the key to atomic power sources vastly greater than that found in the ura- nium nucleus.
 Scientists have discovered. the Army source said, that conditions for the study of cosmic rays are better in the thin air of high alti- tudes than at ground level.
 Russians Seek Ray
 The Russians even now are seek ing the cosmic rays secret at lab- oratories in the mountains of Sov- jet Georgia.
 The experiments at the Evans laboratory were directed by It. Col. John H. Dewitt, Jr., aided by a staff of engineers. mathematicians and physicists. An antenna twice normal size was mounted on a 1OO- foot tower and aimed at the moon by means of a high frequency peep sight.
 From this antenna was transmit ted high frequency pulse of energy So enormous that 1t was necessary Go use water-cooled vacuum tubes. A. each pulse left the transmitter, Q tall pip" appeared on the radar screen, an oscilloscope specially de- slgEed to record the moon echoes visually. As each pulse returned fiom the moon a new and smaller pip appeared.
 Testimony Confirmed
 Two impartial physicists" were called in. They confirmed the truth Of the oscilloScope's testimony.
 Scientific appraisal of the Signal