U.S. Pilots See Soviet Rocket In Pacific

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29250, 7 July 1960, Page 13

U.S. Pilots See Soviet Rocket In Pacific

(IV.Z Press Association— Copyright)

(Rec. 10.30 p.m.) HONOLULU, July 6. An American airline pilot saw the Russian rocket fired into the Central Pacific yesterday streaking through the sky soon after his plane left Tokyo. American Air Force pilots also saw the rocket hit the sea. Russia has announced that the nose cone of the rocket landed “in close proximity” to the target after a flight of about 8000 miles.

Captain H. Lanier Turner, pilot of a Pan American Boeing 707, said he 'saw the bright star-like object streak across the sky in a dazzling glow soon after his plane left Tokyo. “I have never seen anything quite so awe-inspiring as that in all my 35 years of flying," said Captain Turner, age 53, of Oakland. California. He was certain it was the Soviet rocket missile. Captain Turner said the object looked “like a very bright star with a halo.” “It seemed to get longer after a while, as if it was going to separate,” he said. “The whole thing, including the halo, appeared to be about 10 times the size of the moon. The core appeared to be about the size of Venus.” He said the object was sighted about 4.15 p.m. G.M.T. The Russian rocket was reported to have reached its target zone about 5 p.m. G.M.T The zone is about 1000 miles south-west of Hawaii. Captain Turner said his plane was flying at 33,000 feet. The object was travelling at great speed, possibly up to 18,000 miles an hour, and was in view for about five to eight minutes, he said The United States Defence Department announced that the pilots of two United States Navy patrol planes saw the missile shot descend into the Pacific.

The department noted that the estimated distance achieved by the Soviet rocket was 1030 miles less than the 9000 miles achieved

by a United States Atlas ballistic missile on May 20. Neither the Navy nor the Defence Department would say what devices, if any, were employed to detect the Soviet rocket in advance of the sighting. The launching opened a series of test flights of powerful new multi-stage rockets for space exploration, which the Russians announced would go on until the end of the month. Moscbw Radio said all the nose cones would land “strictly in the target zone.” The target area in the latest tests is only 17,136 square miles, compared with 43,700 square miles for the tests Russia made in January. A Soviet aeronautics expert, Professor Ari Sternfeld, said recently that the reduced target area was “a pointer to the increased aiming accuracy of Soviet ballistic missiles.” A Tass announcement after the test said: “The rocket was started strictly at a fixed moment. The flight of the rocket proceeded in exact accordance with the preset programme. “The dummy of the last stage of the rocket, adapted for passage through dense layers of the atmosphere, reached the water surface in close proximity to the target, about 13,000 kilometres (8078 miles) away from the launching site. “Special vessels in the central Pacific equipped with various

measuring instruments took measurements envisaged by the programme and obtained valuaable results.”