Evening star., 1960-09-26
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer

SLaI 6cicuCe WIlJeE
United States hopes for q
major space FIRST" went glim-
mering today in the wake Of
an Atlas-Able rocket failure at
Cape Canaveral. Fla.
The big three-stage rocket,
carrying a 387-pound instru-
ment package designed to go
into orbit around the moon,
was launched at 11:13 am.
(EDTD yesterday. Shortly after
ward, officials of the National
AeronauticS and Space Ad-
ministration announced that
the rocket had failed to per-
form properly.
1t was the third failure in
the Atlas-Able moon shot series
counting the blowup of a
rocket on the test stand in
September, 1859. The first
actual failure in fight happened
when a rocket carrying 372-
pound moon orbiter malfunc-
toned As seconds after launch
ing last Thanksgiving Day.
The trouble yesterday de-
veloped in the rockets second
stage. NASA said the first-stage
booster, an Atlas-D of the type
now operational as Americas
first interconthIental ballistic
missile, seemed to have worked
properly.
It was the 38th successful
Atlas firing in So attempts.
Political Implications
The failure came at a time
when Democrats had stepped
up their charges that Republi-
can policies have made us
second in space" and dealt a
damaging blow to American
space prestige at a time when
Russian Premier KhruShchev
is in this country saying that
the Soviet Union is ready to
launch a man into space.
The administration has one
more chance to get political
mileage out Of a major space
success, but this chance Is so
remote as to be virtually non
existent. Another rocket and
payload. virtually duplicates of
yesterdays are on hand at the
Cape. !
The next opportunity, for a
moon shot will come late in
october. This is only four weeks
off, which might not allow
enough time for the check
outs needed before a launching.
An additional pail was cast
over any such administration
hopes by Abe Silverstein, NASA
director Of space flight pro-
grams. DR.. Silverstein said no
decision would be made about q
follow-up shot until analysis
Of data on yesterdays failure
could be completed. Such an
analysis is routine after an
unsuccessful shot, and can take
as long as several days.
Pressure to be Resisted
A NASA spokesman conceded
yesterday that, "by huTying,"
the agency probably could send
up another shot in late Octo-
Der. But it was clear that space
experts would resist any pres
sure.
DR.. Adolph Thiel, top prof.
ect officer, reported the second |
stage Of the Atlas-Able ig-
nited, but burned abnormally.
This sent the vehicle off course
and prevented ignition Of the
third stage.
NASA scientists were puzzled |
by the failure of the time-tested
second stage. This was the first |
time in is f1rings that it did not |
work. Used atop a Thor rocket,
it helped boost such space and
satellite payloads as Explorer
VI, Pioneer v, Echo and Tiros.
This was the seventh time
the United States has sent a
rocket toward the moon. Three
of the previous shots failed be-
cause of rocket trouble.
One reached an altitude of
70,700 miles and another SO, $50
miles before turnbling back into
the atmosphere. Pioneer W
had too much speed and sailed
past the moon into orbit about
the sun.
The Russians have reported
firing three moon rockets.
Lunik I whipped past the moon
into solar orbit. Lunik IL hit
the moon. Lunik III went into
a wide earth orbit that carried
it around the moon and enabled
it to take the first picture of
the moons hidden side.
No one knew exactly what
happened to the big rocket
after its second stage failed.
But everyone knew what did
not happen to tit did not go
out into space, as some early
reports speculated. The sneed