Evening star., 1961-02-13
VENUS
Worlds Scientists Acclaim
Reds Latest Space Venture


naveral, Fla. It's aim was to
60 into orbit around the sun,
although the general purpose
was somewhat like the new So
Wet probe, NASA officials said.
However, the object of
Pioneer v was to come within
about 4 million miles of Venus
orbital path. Calculations in
dicate that 1t missed even this
mark by about 3 million miles.
The Russians expect to come
much closer. Prof. Oleg Mel
nikov of Leningrad Observatory
told Tass it is hoped the space
vehicle will pass through the
thick clouds blanketing Venus.
Pioneer V lost radio contact
with the earth when 1t was
22.5 million miles away.
The Soviet announcement
indicated the Venus launching
was an extremely complex op-
Grafton. It said a multi-stage
rocket carried a Sputnik into
orbit, another rocket was
launched from the Sputnik and
the second rocket fired off an
automatic interplanetary" sta
ton with the intent either Of
hitting Venus or going into
orbit around it.
There was no indication Of
the rockets present speed. But
the first announcement said
that, at noon yesterday Moscow
time, the space station already
was 126,300 kilometers t72,780
miles, from the earth. The
Russians said the Travellers
radio transmitter and other
equipment were functioning
normally and that the station
was being tracked by a special
center.
I'm conformity with the So
Wet space research program. p"
the Russians said, "a heavy
artificial satellite Of the earth
was orbited in the Soviet Union
on February II, 1861, by an i'm
proved multi-stage rocket.
"On the same day, a guided
space rocket, launched from the
Sputnik, set an automatic in
Cerplanetary station on a flight
20 the planet Venus"
Acclaimed by British
The Communist Party news
paper Pravda proclaimed the
Venus shot with an unusual
banner line across its front
page. The launching was de-
scribed by Nikolai Barabashov,
director Of the observatory Of
Kharkov State University in an
article taking up more than
half Of the second page Of
Pravda.
I'VE shall be able to fathom
the mystery Of Venus. the clos
est sister Of the earth," Mr..
Barabashov declared. M /
Sir Bernard Lowell, director
Of Britain's great Jodrell Bank
radio telescope. hailed the
launching as fantastic" and
wished the Russians good luck
in their bid to reach Venus.
Prof. Harrie Massey, chair
man Of Britain's National Com
mittee on Space Research, said
the Russians have launched
AN extraordinarily interesting
and exciting adventure"
Some British observers viewed
The Soviet feat as a military
warning to the West.
IF the Russians can hit
Venus 26 million miles away"
said the tabloid Daily Sketch,
lit would be child's play to
pinpoint earth targets from
only 100 miles out in space.
What answer has the West?
None-until the day it, too, can
put a gun into space"
May Solve Mystery
The latest Soviet space probe
came eight days after the
launching Of a seven-ton mon
ster satellite whose apparent
radio silence mystified Western
scientists.
Soviet scientists have been
speculating for several months
that a rocket to the vicinity of
Venus might solve the mystery
Of whether there is life on the
planet. Prof. Boris Kukarkin
is among those who have. spec
ulated that there is life there
Prof. Barabashov noted that
Venus Is perpetually surrounded
by mist and appears to be in the
carboniferous period through
which the earth passed million
of years ago. This, he said, in
dicates that life might be al
the beginning there.
Venus named for the
Roman goddess of love-is thu
third brightest object in the
earth's sky. outshone only by
the sun and moon. The cloud
shrouded planet is sometimes
called the earth's twin. It i.
about 7,700 miles in diameter
near the size Of the earth, snc
its weight is about 81 per cent
of the earth's mass.
Mars May Be Next
Venus orbits 81 million mile
from the sun-about q thirc
closer than the earth-and thu
gets about twice as much cun
light and heat as the earth
Thus astronomers say Venu
may be hundreds Of degrees no
on its surface. which woult
seem to rule out any form o
life as man knows it. 1t woult
also be too hot for oceans o
seas, but 1t may be envelopet
in clouds Of steam.
A. Mikhailov, director of tn