Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-10-06
Radios Signals Indicate
Turn to Circle Moon
Continued From First Page

turn to keep close around the
moon, Instead 1t sails beyond
the moon about one-flfth as far
as the moon is from the earth.
Then 1t makes slow turn to
the left and charges back
toward the earth.
The diagram indicates that
the moon will be three and per-
haps four days farther along
its orbit around the earth be-
fore the Lunik, pulled back by
the earth. completes its orbit.
It whips around the left side
of the earth and then back
around the right of the earth to
sail on into space on a cigar
shaped course.
The design leaves unsolved
the question Of whether the
Lunik may be lucky enough to
have another close look at the
moon.
Leonid Sedov, a member of
the Soviet Academy of Sci
ences. said the device may stay
in orbit indefinitely, radioing
back infrmation from space all
the while.
Other Devices Planned
The solar batteries, taking
their power from the sun, gen
crate enough energy to insure
the functioning of all instru-
ments and radio equipment
throughout" he said.
The Soviet news agency Tass
said information to come after
the Lunik completed its survey
of the moon would cover such
things as cosmic rays and
lethal radiation belts in space.
Tass reported Soviet scien-
lists are now looking forward
to dispatching similar flying
laboratories toward Mars and
Venus. 1t did not say how far
advanced such plans might be.
Russian scientists said the
complete automatic observa-
tory"-as they termed the space
traveler-would begin sending
back electronic data immedi-
ately. They said the central
Soviet computing station will
correlate the information, max
ing most of it public.
Pictures to Be Transmitted
Scientists believe the cleo
tronic signals will produce pic
lures Of crater scars similar to
those on the side Of the moon
exposed to earth.
They are just as interested,
If not more so, in what infor-
nation the satellite will ac-
cumulate on its scheduled re-
turn glide into a vast, cigar +:
shaped orbit around the earth.
Russian observatory teams are
set up to track the 614-pound
laboratory on its trip back.
A Soviet scientist, Prof. I. A.
KhvoStikov. said the space We
hicle reported on radiation and
magnetic fields on its way up to
the moon. It is expected to do
the same on the way back, pro-
viding a check on whether ra-
diation and magnetic intensi-
ties are constant or fluctuating.
The satellite reached an in
itial velocity of II kilometers
1888 niles a second after its
launching Sunday. Later in its
238,857-mile trip the speed
dropped to about 2 kilometers
Q.24 miles, second. l.
Speed Is Slower >
Tass explained that this speed
slower than the first two So
Wet moonshots last January and
last month-was necessary to
prevent the satellite from es-
Gaping the gravitational pull of
the moon, which must send it
curv;ng back toward earth.
Otherwise. Tass said. it would
fly eff into orbit around the sun
the fate OF the January moon
shot.
Soviet scientists emphasized
that the most interesting
achievements of the moon probe
were that an automatic observ-
atc1y had been built and was
operating in space and that it
was ending radio signals to the
earth whenever these signals
were called in by radio signal
f.'rnl the earth.
Signals from the satellites
two transmitters are sent for
periods Of two to four hours
daily. During the time it is not
on the air. the flying labora-
tory stores up its information
on tape for relay when the
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