Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-27

ION March 5.
Of man. and seems to assert
Americas continuing ambition
to be at the forefront in ex-
ploring the unknown.
''The compelling urge of man
to explore and to discover. the
thrust Of curiosity that leads
men to try to 60 where no one
has gone before is given by
the scientists as the first of
four vital reasons why space
should be conquered.
The scientists who signed the
report are members Of the
Presidents Scientific Advisory
Committee, headed by DR..
James r. Killian, jr.
Cite Four Factors
Four factors, the scientists
said. give Importance. urgency
and inevitability to the adj
vancement of space technolo-
gy." In addition to the first
mans curiosity-the factors
are defense, national prestige
and new opportunities for
scientific observation and ex-
pertinent.
The government. the report
pointed out. must bear the
cost Of the conquest Of space.
Beyond that-plus a mention
of 50 billion as a possible price
tag on a round trip to the
moon-the report did not delve
into the costs.
The committee made it clear
however, that there was no
hard-and-fast certainty Of a
trip to the moon and safely
back within 10 years. Indeed,
the Is scientists leaned over
backward to avoid saying
precisely when zero hour would
arrive.
1T might not arrive in this
century. or it might come
within one or two decades" the
report said. so much will de-
pend on how rapidly we want
to expand and accelerate our
program"
One striking aspect Of the
Space Primer is the subtle, al
most unnoticeable way the
earthbound reader is carried
into the interplanetary void. BY
the time the reports end is
reached. one almost has the
impression that the moon al
ready has been conquered and
the next goal in sight is Mars.
Indeed. the report points out
that some chronological factors
would make it easier to land
adio-ignaling instruments on
Mars and Venus than to land a
human being safely on the
moon.
Better Fuels Needed
Many steps are needed before
technology will support true
space travel, the report points
out. One of these is the de-
velopment of better fuels.
Present satellite rockets have
takeoff weights of to !, 900 times
that of the tiny "payload"
finally put into orbit. An even
larger mass ratio would be
needed at present to achieve
the 25,000-mile-an-hour speeds
required to reach the moon.
Exhaust velocities of chemical
propellants limit their use, the
report explains.
This comment was taken to
mean that some non-chemical
type of propulsion - atomic.
ionic or the LIKES in view, in
light Of the committees OPP
timism about space travel.
Special Satellites Needed
But even before a moon
rocket, there could be special
purpose satellites. DRIFTING end
lesSly or almost endlessly
around the mother planet.
These would have varied pur-
poses. all valuable to mankind,
for experimental or commercial
or even politico-military rea-
sons.
Here are some Of the things
that scientists say can be done
with the new satellite and
other space mechanisms." the
report says. "A satellite in orbit
can do three things: Cd 1t can
sample the strange new en-
vironment through which II
moves; (2) 1t can look down
and see the earth as 1t has
never been seen before; and
49, 1t can look out into the
universe and record informa-
ton that can never reach the
earth's surface because Of the
intervening atmosphere"
Commercially, economically
! and in everyday life. satellites
: could aid mankind by predic-
ting worldwide weather anc
! Iby improving communications