Evening star., 1955-07-30
Space Satellite
Planned in Two
Years by u. 5.
Basketball Moon
Would Circle Earth
To Benefit Science
By GARNETT d. HORNER

BY GARNETT d. HORNER
The United States plans to
shoot a small earth-circling
satellite up into space in about
two years for the benefit of sci
entists all over the world.
Travelling in an orbit more
than 200 miles high at a speed
of about 10000 miles per hour,
the basketball-size artificial
moon will whirl around the
world once every 80 minutes for
a few days before it vaporizes
into nothing.
From it, scientists hope to
learn many things, including
how to improve weather predic-
tions and radio reception.
Data for Future
They also expect to get infor-
nation invaluable to the devel.
opment of possible future space
travel by human beings.
It looks like a United States
Soviet race to get the first
scientific satellite into space
Russia announced in April that
her top scientists were working or
a space laboratory" that would
revolve around the earth as q
satellite. There has been nc
news of progress from Moscow.
American officials were not
talking in terms of a contest
anyway. They said Russian
scientists. as we'll as those OF
other countries. will be given the
scientific information obtained
from the American moon.
Furthermore, scientists anywhere
can monitor it for themselves.
Plans for the project were an
nounced on behalf of President
Eisenhower by White House
Press Secretary James C. Hager-
ty in a special news conference
late yesterday.
Mr.. Hagerty emphasized that
the project is entirely for scien-
tific purposes" He said the De-
fense Departments only connec-
ton with the satellite will be to
"get it up in the air" by rockets
developed by the military estab-
lishment.
Military Significance
Information gained from the
experiment may have great mill
tary significance, however. 1t
could be one stage in a series of
experiments leading to develop
ment of big, man-carrying satel-
lites which could dominate the
world.
The American project is being
sponsored by the National Acad-
emy of Sciences and the National
Science Foundation as part CT
this country's participation in
the international Geophysical
Year, a period set aside from
July, 1857, to December, 1858,
for cooperative worldwide study
of the earth by scientists of
some 40 MISUNDERSTANDING Rus
Sia.
A resolution urging all these
countries to consider launching
small satellite vehicles" in view
of the great Importance of OBJ
servations in the upper at
mosphere was passed by spe-
ciaI committee for the Interna-
tional Geophysical Year last
October.
simultaneously with the White
House announcement yesterday
that committee was informed Of
ficially that in response to its
resolution the American program
nov includes definite plans for
the launching of small satellites
during the International Geo.
physical Year"
Half a dozen scientists from
the two sponsoring groups helped
Mr.. Hagerty answer questions
during his news conference.
DR.. Alan T. Waterman, director
of the National Science Founda-
ton. said it still is uncertain
whether one or more satellites
will be launched. He said there
might be several.
DR.. Athelstan F. Spilhaus, a
representative of the National
Academy of Sciences, said it is
hoped that the satellite can be
built to carry various scientific
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