Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-09
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
In the Explorers Wake
The successful launching Of the

The successful launching Of the
American satellite Explorer q
week ago Friday brought a well
come break in the national gloom
born of the Soviet Sputniks and
our first embarrassing attempt to
follow them into space. With
the Explorer we had proved to
ourself and the world that we
were still in the same league as
the Russians. although perhaps
running little behind at the
moment.
Last week the Nation undertook
to preserve whatever momentum
the Explorers launching had pro-
vided. At the Pentagon, a space
car was named to take over the
job Of developing weapons for the
future. Congress arranged to keep
a close watch on space develop
ments. And on the launching
pads in Florida. military men and
scientists plugged away at their
efforts to get another satellite
aloft and build an adequate mis-
sileS arsenal.
Organization
In the Pentagon, Defense Sec
rotary Neil McElroy announced
the creation of the Advance Re-
search Projects Agency to direct
research and development Of outer
space weapons, vehicles and other
space devices. A General Electric
Co. vice president. Roy w. john
son, was named its director. Con-
gress had already appropriated
funds for the new agency. al
though congressional reservations
were plain in the fact that q
Senate committee is studying the
advisability of a separate civilian
agency, similar to the Atomic
Energy Commission, to direct the
Nations space activities.
Yesterday, Vice President Nixon
. named a 13-man bipartisan Senate
committee to explore the problems
Of outer space.
The special advisory panel
named by President Eisenhower to
study plans for reorganization of
the Defense Department was
joined last week by Gen. Alfred
M Gruenther. retired NATO COM
mander and now head Of the
American Red Cross. The group
will meet in Puerto Rico on Feb
ruary 81 to discuss their recon-
mendations.
Whatever the Defense Depart
ment does about recognizing its
complex establishment. it will APP
parently have the money to do it.
On Monday, for example. the
Senate passed unanimously a
$1,41O,000.000 emergency appro-
priation for defense. The extra
money will go for the expanded
missiles program, for missile
carrying atomic powered SUBJ
marines, new attack warning sys-
TENS, and additional bases for
the Strategic Air Command. The
funds measure had already been
passed unanimously by the House.
The Hardware
For the defense establishment,
the success Of the Army with Its
first satellite has brought q certain
respite. There is an easier tone
to the Pentagon announcements,
q more confident bearing among
civilian secretaries and military
brass alike. Surprisingly, there
appears to be an almost complete
absence Of the usual bitter inter-
service rivalry these days. despite
the Army's success and the Nays
second Vanguard failure.
Last Wednesday, the sleek VAN
guard with a 6-inch gold-plated
magnesium sphere in its nose took
off with a smooth roar at the Cape
Canaveral test site. It seemed to
be a perfect success-until some
thing went wrong at an altitude of
about 10000 feet. The rocket broke
in two; the test safety officer
quickly pressed button to blow
up the fragments. Gloom abruptly
replaced the buoyant good cheer
that had gripped all observers
when the Vanguard left its pad.
But last weeks gloom was not
the same as that of November,
when the first Vanguard toppled
over and exploded on the ground.
Immediately, scientists and TECH
biologists went to work to find out
why the second rocket had gone
askew.
They retrieved what parts they
could find from the shallow wa
tiers OF the cape. and after study
announced that o wiring failure,
cause unknown, had caused the
shining Vanguard to lose its di-
rectional control. An abrupt
twist OF its prescribed course had
broken it; the electronic brains
that gave instructions to its guild
ance devices had somehow failed
to speak up
The Navy will try again with