Scrapbook 2: Nov 1962 — Ariel, Van Allen, Venera 2, Cuba
ALTHOUGH the Ministry of Science reaction to the damage received by the British satellite Ariel remains one of “disappointment,” some of the scientists who designed the satellite’s experiments are not at all displeased.
It was at first thought that the radiation from the American high altitude nuclear test on July 9 had damaged the solar batteries beyond repair, but since Ariel re-started its transmissions last Friday, reports have become more optimistic.
University scientists with whom I spoke yesterday rather welcomed the radiation effects. They pointed out that they already possess many hundreds of hours recordings of effects in normal conditions.
Measurements have been taken of electron density, cosmic ray and X-ray intensities in quiet solar conditions.
Creation by the Americans of a minor new Van Allen radiation belt has enabled them to start again. They hope to obtain valuable information on how a disturbed radiation pattern settles down again.
U.S. OBSERVED RULES
The scientists stressed that they did not encourage indiscriminate space bombardments, but pointed out that the Americans had asked their advice before the July 9 test and had scrupulously observed conditions laid down by the Ariel scientists.
While the extent of the damage to Ariel is likely to remain unknown, its main effect will be to shorten rather than weaken the radio transmissions. When the signals fall below a certain strength they are automatically cut-out to conserve the batteries.
On the legal issue of redress Mr. Christopher Shawcross, Q.C., former chairman of the Institute of Space Law, told me that international law and the United Nations regulations could be stretched to cover this contingency up to a point.
The procedure would be an application to the International Court at the Hague to determine whether such claims came within their jurisdiction. Alternatively, the United Nations Assembly could ask the International Court for an opinion.
BRITISH ARIEL SATELLITE NOT DEAD
By JOHN DELIN Sunday Telegraph Science Correspondent
AS with Mark Twain, reports of the British satellite Ariel’s premature death have been grossly exaggerated. “Good, if periodic readings are still being received,” a Ministry of Science spokesman said to me yesterday.
Ariel was first reported to be sending erratic signals on Aug. 20 after damage caused by the United States’ July 9 nuclear test. On Aug. 30 Dr. A. P. Willmore, one of the team at University College, London, who designed part of the instrumentation, reported its “death” to the British Association meeting in Manchester.
Dr. Willmore rather modified his attitude when he discussed the matter with me in London yesterday. “Ariel is dead for the purposes of our particular experiment,” he said, “although the experiment itself was a success. We can expect no further considerable data to be forthcoming.”
“COME BACK” POSSIBLE
Although Ariel was still transmitting, there had been no useful information for the past fortnight. There was a good chance that the satellite would come back into operation early in November when it would stay in continuous sunlight for four or five days, avoiding the earth’s shadow.
There were believed to be two faults. These were:
1.—Damage, already reported, to the battery-charging system, which had reduced, but not stopped, the rate of charging; and
2.—Interruption of the links between the experiment, the encoder and the transmitter which sent the coded message.
It was reasonably possible that a continuous period of sunlight might raise the satellite’s temperature sufficiently to enable the internal fault to rectify itself.
In that case the reading which would be received would report the changed ionisation and radiation densities in the lower Van Allen belts.
MISSILE BASE DISPUTE
Inquiry ordered
AMERICA’S missile centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, was picketed to-day by members of a machinists’ union which is on strike against the Lockheed Aircraft Co. Most of the men involved work on test firings of the Polaris submarine missile.
Later, President Kennedy, acting under the Tft-Hartley Act, set up a three-man board to inquire into the dispute. The Board will report to him on Monday.
“Army has rockets”
A Sana’a Radio commentator describing the parade said that Yemeni forces had rocket. He did not specify the type or number but said they were “among the most modern in the world.”—AP.
MAN ON MOON PROJECT RUNS INTO TROUBLE
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT WASHINGTON, Thursday.
AMERICAN plans to land a man on the moon by 1970 are bedevilled by technical, financial and even political troubles.
It now appears that the first manned orbital flight of the two-seater Gemini spacecraft will be delayed from late next year into 1964.
Space Agency officials say the problem is basically technical. Firms working under contract to produce the highly complex equipment required are running into unforeseen difficulties.
Dr. James Webb, head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is faced with escalating costs and delays. He has decided not to ask Congress for extra funds during the current financial year, which ends on June 30.
To keep within his present budget, Dr. Webb has had to cut down on a host of Space Administration projects. Scientific satellites, the futuristic Nova super-rocket and the manned orbiting space station project have all been cut back. So have communications satellites.
Some members of Congress are beginning to question the rapidly growing cost of the moon programme. This week Mr. Holifield, the California Democrat, who heads the powerful Senate-House Atomic Energy Committee, complained of “moon madness.”
6 MORE SPIES IN THE SKY
U.S. LAUNCHINGS
By Our Air Staff
The American Air Force has secretly 20 unidentified satellites since last November Flight International, said to-day. It estimated that there were 12 Discoverer-type satellites, six Samos and one Midas. One failed to orbit.
Samos contain television reconnaissance devices which are believed to be capable of carrying on the work of the banned U2 planes. Midas satellites carry infra-red sensors that can record rocket motor discharges at ranges of 6,000 miles.
America announced all satellite launchings until March, when the Russians refused to give details of theirs.
SPACE RADIATION RISE CONFIRMED
From Our Own Correspondent NEW YORK, Sunday.
Dr. James Van Allen, of Iowa University, confirmed yesterday that an American high-altitude nuclear test over the Pacific on July 9 created an artificial radiation belt in the lower reaches of the Van Allen Belt. He said variations in radiation were studied for a year using the satellite Injun III.
A scientist at the High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, Colorado, said the test was detected by radio-frequency signals which might interfere with some radio astronomy. The Van Allen radiation belt, encircling the earth from 600 miles to a possible 100,000 miles up, was discovered by Dr. Van Allen in 1958.
WILL Cape Canaveral, heart of America’s Space effort, be forced to move?
This is the question being debated at top level here because of the Soviet build-up in Castro’s Cuba, only ninety miles from the Florida coast.
So far as President Kennedy has said, Cape Canaveral is not “under the gun.”
The missiles Castro is getting from Moscow for anti-aircraft defence have a range of only twenty-five miles.
Worry
His radar sets are fifteen years out of date.
But what is worrying defence officials is that Russia’s Krushchev could use Cuba for some super snooping.
So far the Russians have only been able to monitor Canaveral rockets from submarines and trawlers.
A land-based monitoring station would offer all kinds of opportunities—including the possibility of electronically destroying rockets on their pads or altering their course.
Rocket can take chemical load
NEW YORK, Thursday.—The U.S. Army last night fired a Sergeant missile on its first fully operational test from White Sands, New Mexico.
The Army said that the warhead on the rocket could be either high explosive, nuclear, chemical or biological.
Two-week ‘orbit’
NEW YORK, Tuesday.—Five volunteers today ended a fortnight’s isolation in a simulated space-capsule atmosphere—the equivalent of 336 orbits round the earth.—B.U.P.
THE RAF is to put three of the four main Thor nuclear ballistic missile stations to other uses when the missiles are scrapped next year. A fourth station will be closed.
There are 60 Thors in Britain. The main bases are at Hemswell, Lincs; Driffield, Yorks; Feltwell, Norfolk, and North Luffenham, Rutland. Each base has four satellites so that not more than three missiles are in any one place.
More than 150 civilians at Hemswell were given six months’ notice last night. The station due for closure is Driffield. A small maintenance staff will be retained. About 160 civilians are likely to lose their jobs.
About 1,000 R.A.F. men and 100 permanent civil servants at each station will be found other jobs. No firm decision has been made on the future use of Hemswell, Feltwell and North Luffenham. All the satellite sites will be scrapped.
1,500 MILES RANGE
Thor has an explosive head equivalent to one million tons of TNT and has a range of over 1,500 miles. Its range could have been increased with later marks.
The reason for Britain scrapping the missiles is financial. The RAF estimate that Thor would be a useful addition to the deterrent until the end of 1964.
Even with no protection, 20 different sites, miles apart, impose a serious problem for the Russians. They must all be destroyed, absolutely instantaneously, for if there were even seconds between impacts three additional Russian cities would be destroyed.
SECOND RUSSIAN VENUS FAILURE
WASHINGTON, Wednesday.
Russia failed a second time over the week-end to send a scientific payload to the vicinity of Venus, the Pentagon said to-day. American space tracking stations detected pieces of the payload and its rocket still orbiting the earth.
The attempt is believed to have been made late on Sunday.
MAGNETIC FIELD MEASURED
MILKY WAY GALAXY
By Our Science Correspondent
Jodrell Bank scientists have measured for the first time the strength of the magnetic field in the Milky Way galaxy. Sir Bernard Lovell has said that he is thrilled with the success of this work.
The existence of a magnetic field in our galaxy has been postulated. But the measurement of it, and the proof that it exists, has been beyond the powers of science.
Jodrell Bank’s giant telescope was used for 2,000 hours to listen to a source of radio waves coming from an area in a different part of the galaxy. The waves had to pass through a cloud of inter-stellar gas, proving by the effect of the gas on the waves that the waves had also passed through a magnetic field.
SIAM TO GET U.S. GUIDED MISSILES
BANGKOK, Friday.
Gen. Thanom Kittikachorn, Siamese Defence Minister, said in Bangkok yesterday that the United States would give Siam Sidewinder guided missiles. They are included in the special military aid promised last month.
The aid will also include M-41 tanks, T-28 planes and transport aircraft, amphibious landing ships and minesweepers. But a request for money to build up the manpower of the armed forces has been rejected by the United States.—Reuter.
Astronaut Space Lines To Be Ordered by NASA
HOUSTON (UPI)—Two important pieces of space equipment, including astronaut “umbilical lines” that will allow him to leave his spaceship, will be ordered this week by the manned spacecraft center.
Proposals will be opened Friday on the study contract for the lines, a complex piece of hose that will provide fuel and electricity for any equipment when the astronaut leaves the ship during flight or after a moon landing.
Earlier in the week the center will open proposals for a meshed fabric that will serve as the Apollo moonship seats.