Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-09
SATELLITE
: Continued From First Page

observatory in Germany esti-
mated today that the orbit
comes as near as i56 miles TO
the earth.
DR.. Wolfgang Priester said
that observations showed that
the satellite rotated at a MAXI
mum Of $50 miles. a median
distance Of 357 miles and a
minimum of l56 miles.
Many scientists. noting the
variance in attitudes computed
from time to time, were in
clined to believe the little ball
was fiuctuating in its orbit. and
still would remain aloft indefi-
nitely. Some British experts
thought the moons finish
might come in a matter of
days.
For six hours last night the
Naval Research Laboratory S
Minitrack system thought 1t
had heard the last of the OBJ
ject's radio "beeps." All went
dead. not only at the Blossom
Point station. but at other
monitoring points from 4 pm.
until 1856 pm. when the San
Diego Minitrack Station again
heard the signals. loud and
clear.
The Associated Press reported
from Austria that the Vienna
Observatory saw the satellite
with its telescopes at 1854
pm. (EDTl Tuesday for about
so seconds. Its position over
Vienna at that time Cor
responded with its course an
nounced by the Russians sew
eral days ago, the observatory
said.
At first it was believed the
satellites batteries had gone
dead. such as Moscow has pre-
dicted would occur in 4 few
days. When the agnaIs r.
turned they were picked W
only on the 40-megacycie band.
The 20-megacycle reception on
the two-freouency radio was
cloudy. which suggested that
sun spots or some other in
fiuence had interfered.
Naval Research scientists
speculated that the satellites
objects may have been turned
on for a time by ground con-
troll. The signals were heard
again at Blossom Point at 1882
pm. the time the satellite
made another run over the
Washington aera. 1t zoomed
over within a relatively few
miles Of the Capital again at
1855 am. today with strong
radio signals.
About the altitude changes.
there was much evidence con-
f1rming reports the satellite
either was losing altitude or
acting crafty in its mad dash
around the earth.
May Change Orbit
The l6O-miles-up calculation
was made by the Cavendish
Radio Observatory in Cam
bridge, England.
This indicates the satellite
is returning to earth rather
quickly one spokesman there
said. But another said the
changes in altitude do not
necessarily mean 1t might soon
burn up-the difference in
height might mean that the or
bit Of the satellite is changing. I"
These experts said It still
wasn't settled whether the
sphere Of aluminium alloy would
burn up when it sinks into the
denser atmosphere. since its
speed is much less than that of
natural meteorites which end
as shooting stars.
Could Fall in Sea.
But If it falls intact. the
chances are good 1t would droo
into salt water, since about 70
per cent Of the worlds surface
is made up Of seas and oceans,
The data on loss Of altitude
was supported by other sources,
Canadian scientists. said to
have defined the moons" orbit
within so miles. said it had
been losing altitude by 3 miles
an hour the past two days.
DR.. Fred L. Whipple. director
of the Smithsonian Astrophys-
zeal Observatory at Cambridge,
Mass. said the moons" aver
age distance from the earth is
373 miles. He said II was pos
sible technicians would be able
TO describe the shape Of the
orbit within "a hours.
Isn't Travelling Alone
The Russians announced that
the satellite wasn't exactly
making a solitary trip around
the world. Companions still are
a protective nose cone, jetti-
soned when the moon went into
its orbit. and the final rocket
section which lifted it into
space.
There was kind Of race goinI
on between scientists trying tC
get perfect calculations on thu
orbit and the life OF the moons
radio batteries.
II the batteries should give
out before the calculations are
completed, there would be nc
radio signals to guide them. II
might be that visual tracking
would then be impossible. snc
American scientists would los,
their first chance TO study {
satellites flight.
An effort 10 get the Ars
glimpse Of the satellite in this