Evening star., 1961-04-13
We Are Behind but


perspective the momentouS news of the
Soviet Unions manned orbital flight.
While warmly congratulating Premier
KhruShchev and "CoSmonaut" Yuri
Gagarin for this truly great and spec
tacular achievement, he has plainly
indicated that he regards the United
States as being still very much in the
space race even though I'VE are behind"
and must face the fact that "it will be
some time before we catch up"
The Kremlin'S propaganda machine
can be counted upon, of course, to make
the most of Major Gagarin'S triumph,
and there can be no doubt that the
psychological and political impact of the
event will be more than little helpful
to Soviet policy in many parts of the
world. Mr.. Khrushchev has made clear,
in gloating language, that he intends
to exploit this latest of RusSia's "firstS"
with the utmost vigor, and he has al
ready tauntingly challenged us to TRY"
to duplicate it.
Well, as the President has re-
affirmed at his news conference, this
challenge will be met in the relatively
near future. Project Mercury, at any rate,
is moving forward at its planned pace,
and within a matter of weekS-poSsibly
before the end of the month-one of its
seven AStronautS will be rocketed on a
Suborbital flight. Then, late this year,
according to present hopes, he will be
fired into orbit for perhaps three trips
around the globe at speed of approx
mately $4,000 miles an hour In that
respect, catching up" with the USSR
is not distant prospect
However, since they started working
on big balliStic missiles six or eight years
before we did, the Russians are likely to
stay ahead of us for considerable time
in their capacity to lift heavy payloadS
into space. The thrust power of our
own rocketry (this does not affect our
1CBM capabilitieS) will not begin to
equal or excel theirs until around
l964-5. Meanwhile, however, our coun-
try, not less than the Soviet Union, will
be making steady progress toward
human space travel with plans calling
for several marvellous ventures, cul-
minating in 1865 (or so it is hoped) with
Project Apollo-the launching Of
spacecraft carrying three Americans on
an earth-orbiting flight and, later, on a
trip areund the moon and back
To be sure, it is not improbable that
the Soviet Union will accomplish featS
of this sort year or two before us
and conceivably their successes could
develop into massive military threat,
though there are many experts who
think vehicles like space platforms"
have been vastly overrated as potential
weapons. In any case, we too will be NOV
ing ahead in many areas, and we may
score a few tremendous "firsts" of our
own, not only on the roadway to the
stars, but also right here on terra firma
with developments (such as techniqueS
making discrimination of sea water
cheap and easy) greatly improving the
lot OF peoples everywhere.
The President, in his personal mes
sage to Mr.. Khrushchev, has declared,
ut is my sincere desire that in the con-
tinuing quest for knowledge of outer
space our nations can work together to
obtain the greatest benefit to mankind"
Certainly, if ever the cold war comes to
an end, and If ever there is a stable
peace marked by close and sincere
Soviet-American cooperation, then this
world of ours will know the brightest era
in its history.