Evening star., 1955-07-31
Doorway to the Sturs

Potentially at least, IN terms OF the
long-range future, the White House an
nouncement of American plans to launch
small unnamed earth-circling satel-
lites" may be as portentous as the sud-
den release of the news, decade ago,
that the United States had exploded the
worlds first atomic bomb.
But for the present, and probably
for many years to come, the development
of these artificial din1inutive moons Is
likely to have relatively little direct mill
tary significance. At any rate, as the
White House has been at pains to empha-
size, our country has undertaken to un-
leash the fantastic things for entirely
scientific reasons in a worldwide CO.
operative effort to advance mans knowl-
edge of the universe. The project Will
be carried out during the 1878 Inter-
national Geophysical Year, and 1t Will
enable scientists of all nations (including
Russia) to make sustained observations
for the first time in history OF varied
phenomena "in the regions beyond the
earth'S atmosphere"
These henomena-invoVing such
GI1IIlSo do COoLII1N 10y oOA04 O1AS@6 o., AAAo~>
stellar static and numerous meteorolog-
ical mysteries-have a direct bearing
upon the everyday life of all of us, and
the more we learn about them, the more
we can improve upon that life. And that
is the chief immediate significance OF the
"earth-circling satellites" For these
instruments will be fired to an altitude
of between 200 and 800 miles, and as they
travel for days or weeks in fixed orbit
up there-constantly circumnavigating
the globe at a speed of $4,000 miles an
hour-they will send back to us hitherto
unknown data that can be Of great prac-
tical value to the whole of humanity.
Yet, although it thus does not mean
that things like "space platforms" or
interplanetary travel or earth-destroying
cosmic weapons are now just around the
corner, the advent of man-made moons
(Russia is working on them, too) un-
doubtedly is full of long-range potentl-
alities-both military and nonmilitary-
that go far beyond the mere gathering
of basic new knowledge about the uni
verse. Thus, even in a present sense,
these satellite vehicles" can be indirectly
helpful to the development of the So
called Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
"a weapon theoretically capable OF heap
ing atomic hydrogen annihilation on any
of the worlds cities, anywhere, As min
utes after launching time.
Further, as far as the more distant
future is concerned, things like trips to
the moon, or military action involving
giant machines stationed above the
atmosphere, no longer seem as silly or
inconceivable as they once seemed. For
man, by developing artificial satellites,
has placed his foot in the doorway to the
stars, and the greatness Of this, the mag
nifcence of it, is that it opens up to
him the challenging possibility OF ceasing
to be earthbound and OF being able,
eventually, to master space. Yet there
is also the possibility that this advance,
if improperly exploited, may inject
large new measure of insecurity into his
existence.
Here is a prospect not unlike the
one created when the atom was first
harnessed. There is enormous good in
it. but there is potential evil in 1t, too,
and it serves as another striking reminder
that the survival of humanity depends
in no small measure on mans ability
or lack of ito modernize his obsolescent
political thinking and bring it abreast OF
where he stands now in the field OF
science and technology.