Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-05
Continued From First Pag.

Continued From First Page
next S or 10 years flights OF
humans into cosmic space, per-
haps with landing on other
planets Of our suns system will
be a reality. Possibly the 50th
anniversary of the great Octo-
Der revolution will be celebrat-
ed on the moon just as we are
now celebrating, the 40th on
our planet"
Experimentation Needed
He said q long period of ex-
Fermentation with animals as
rocket passengers was first
necessary in order to solve the
problem of a safe return to
earth through the atmosphere.
The article failed to spell out
whether Sputnik II had been
equipped with a catapult for an
attempt to return the dog
passenger or its body to earth.
but it said some such apparatus
must be developed before hui
man flight into space becomes
practical.
1T would be quite advisable
to perfect means of saving
these animals after completing
their movement to make studies
of their condition after scien-
tific observations aloft are I'm.
ished." he said.
Trina Volk wrote in the Lit
erary Gazette that the little
shaggy dog has become very
popular and some foreign jour-
nalists have even invented a
name for 1t.
Suits Its Character
But in the laboratories this
air traveller was more often
called Laika' both for its breed
and because it suits its charac-
ter. (The name means The
Barker.
The writer outlined a num-
Der of measures to assure the
dogs comfort aloft. including
long training to ration its own
food.
Before being lodged in her
aforementioned tenement in the
rocket, the writer continued,
Laika was given a grand n.y.
ing meal" brought from the
airdrome kitchen, including
soup. a second dish. and
dessert.
The writer said "bigots and
hypocrits" had been deploring
the fate Of the Soviet dog but
had raised no similar cutlery
over animals used in other ex-
periments, including those used
ct Bikini for United States
atomic tests.
American scientists, who have
received meager information
from the Russians on Sputnik I
and Sputnik II. had to rely
today mainly on their own
studies and knowledge in reach
ing any conclusions.
A Polish scientist. Olgierd
Wolczko, said it seemed likely
the rocket carrier was powered
by . fusion chemical burning)
of borax and hydrogen. He
estimated this would produce
twice the power of other known
rocket fuels.
An American expert said the
exotic fuels, on which research
work has been done both in this
country and Russia. would in
clude the so-called free radi-
cals-highly reactive propel-
lants which can be stored at
only very low temperatures
or liquid ozone or liquid fiou-
rine.
Finishes 20 Trips
Russia's pioneer earth satel-
lite, launched October 4. took
a back seat as world attention
focused on the much bigger
Sputnik II. The first satellite,
a sphere said by the Russians
to weigh about 1874 pounds. has
completed nearly 500 trips
around the earth. Its radio
equipment is dead.
Sputnik II, actually the final
stage of a carrier rocket. pre-
sumably has completed %
revolutions around the globe.
American scientists estimate
this l,l20-pound satellite may
be as much as ga feet in di-
ameter and from IS to 40 feet
long.
An astronomer connected
with Project Vanguard. the
American space satellite pro-
gram. said last night his latest
calculations put the second
satellite in an orbit ranging
from 1857 miles from earth
at its farthest point to l03
miles at its closest.
When Sputnik was launched,
its orbit carried it to within
ITO miles Of the earth and as
far out as $50 miles. But these
distances have decreased some
what since.
The Government astronomer
said that Sputnik lis orbit
brings It closer to the earth. it
Ia likely the newer satellite will