Attempt To Recover U.S. Satellite Capsule Soon

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29383, 9 December 1960, Page 17

Attempt To Recover U.S. Satellite Capsule Soon

VANDERBERG AIR FORCE BASE (California), December 8. Discoverer XVIII, the latest United States satellite, whirled around the Earth in a polar orbit once every 94 minutes today, carrying a cargo of human tissue in a radiation test.

The satellite, put into orbit yesterday by a Thor booster rocket, consists of a rocket casing with a 3001 b capsule attached. The Air Force will attempt to recover the capsule, which contains tissue from the underside of a human eyelid, human bone marrow, algae, spores and other materials, including some secret spy gear—thought to be instruments being tested for the Midas and Samos satellites. The exact time of the recovery attempt had not been decided late last night. Air Force officials said it would be made at least a day after the launching, but they recalled that the Discoverer XVH capsule was not ejected for its earthward plunge until two days later, on its thirty-first circuit of the earth. The longer it stayed up the better for the purposes of the tests, scientists said. When the recovery attempt, is made the capsule will be ejected while the satellite is over the Arctic. If all goes well, the capsule will parachute to Earth near Hawaii in the Pacific. Transport aircraft trailing trapeze-like devices will attempt to snag the capsule’s parachute and, if that fails, ships will try to track it down in the ocean.

The satellite is travelling in an oval orbit whose highest point is 450 miles up, with the lowest 150 miles.

The discovery of the capsule and its scientific cargo would give researchers valuable information for use in the United States man-in-space programme.