Spaceship Preparing For Return?

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29900, 14 August 1962, Page 15

Spaceship Preparing For Return?

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, August 13. The Chiba receiving station of the Japanese radio station NHK said today it had intercepted instructions to the Russian spacecraft, Vostok IV, to prepare to return to earth, the Associated Press reported from Tokyo. The institute said the message ordered the craft’s pilot, LieutenantColonel Pavel Popovich, to begin preparations for re-entry with the use of manual controls at 7.08 a.m. G.M.T.

The institute said it had no information on whether similar instructions had been sent to Vostok 111, launched a day earlier with Major Andrian Nikolayev at the controls.

The station said it had monitored voices said to be those of Colonel Popovich and those of the ground station. It said the ground staff was telling Colonel Popovich to return to earth, the British United Press reported.

The Director of the Japanese Radio Wave Institute said that he had also monitored similar voices but could not tell whether they meant that Vostok IV was ordered to return.

The Swedish Radio Observatory at Raaoe reported today that one of the Soviet spaceships was apparently preparing to land. A spokesman said the signals from the two spaceships were more and more widely spaced from each other. Yesterday the signals were heard almost simultaneously. The spokesman said: “The conclusion must be that one of the spaceships has slowed down, preparing to land.” American Tracking

The Ohio Research Centre at Cleveland said today that its tracking of the spaceships indicated they had moved apart. First trackings had indicated the spaceships were only 75 miles apart, but later calculations showed the spaceships had moved 385 miles apart.

Also a voice transmission from one of the satellites had been recorded. In it one cosmonaut obviously u’as replying to instructions from the ground. The conversation had not yet been translated except for the words, "1 understand. . . I understand.”

The Vice-President of the British Interplanetary Society, Mr Kenneth W. Gatland, said today the Russians might be using Vostok HI, manned by Major Nikolayev, as a target marker for obtaining experience in orbital rendezvous.

A signal from the, Vostok ground station calling the latest Soviet spaceman in Vostok IV back to earth, reported to have been picked up near Tokyo, suggested that this was so, he said. Indications were that another spaceship would be launched today, he said, the idea being to give experience m orbital rendezvous techni-

que to as many cosmonauts as possible. In Moscow there was lively speculation that another launching was imminent. An unofficial but reliable source said last night that five shots would be carried out. Reuter reported. Officials refused to confirm or deny the report. The British United Press said there were suggestions that an attempt might be made later today to bring the two orbiting spacemen back to earth.

Major Nikolayev and Colonel Popovich were “feeling fine” when they awoke at 1.30 a,m. G.M.T. today after their night’s sleep, Moscow Radio said.

Major Nikolayev slept for seven hours and a half and Colonel Popovich for seven hours. They then did physical exercises, had breakfast and proceeded with their scientific observations.

Major Nikolayev, who was launched on Saturday in Vostok 111, had completed 31 orbits covering about 781,250 miles by 5 a m. G.M.T. Colonel Popovich, launched yesterday in Vostok IV. had circled the world 14 times,

covering about 368,750 miles. While they slept, the instruments were controlled automatically and equipment recorded their behaviour. Instruments Working

Moscow Radio said all instruments aboard the spaceships were ■working normally. The Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) congratulated the scientists and technicians responsible for the construction and launching of the spaceships. Western observers in Moscow thought the launching of the spaceships into nearly the same orbit was a preliminary part of a long-term programme to assemble a platform in space for an assault on the moon.

Tass said data transmitted from the spaceships confirmed the excellent health of the astronauts. They became the first men to converse in space when they exchanged messages soon after the ■launching of Vostok IV yesterday. Tass quoted the chief theoretician at their secret launching site as saying this achievement would contribute to the future establishment of communications between interplanetary stations. Before they went to sleep last night Colonel Popovich sent congratulations to the Shakhter team on winning the Soviet Soccer Cup. Scientific Tests

More details about the scientific programme have been reported. It includes a study of the interaction of two spaceships piloted in almost the same orbit, and the effect of space flight on biological objects such as bacteria, fruit-flies. peas, wheat, and pine and beech seeds.

Two medical experts wrote in the Government newspaper, “Izvestia," that there

was every reason to believe the cosmonauts would receive a dose of radiation well below the permissible maximum.

A medical scientist in the Communist Party newspaper, “Pravda,” today described the biological measurements being made of the two cosmonauts. These include action of the heart muscles, respiration, pulse, movement of the eyes and brain currents.

“Detailed processing of the radio-telemetric recordings will provide new facts about the reactions of the human system to prolonged weightlessness and other factors affecting space Hight,” the scientist, Mr Bavetsky, said

"Group Flight

Tass later reported: “The cosmonauts’ morning hours were devoted to scientific observations, physiological ?nd vestibular (inner ear) and psychological tests. “Cosmonaut Nikolayev, whose flight has already lasted almost two days and Cosmonaut Popovich, who has been flying in space for 21 hours, have fully maintained their ability to work ah 4 are successfully fulfilling the flight programme. The group flight of the space ships Vostok 111 and Vostok IV continues.”,

Tass said that while the spacemen slept, medical instruments checked their condition and reported automatically to their secret “cosmodrome.”

Robert Citron, chief of the Smithsonian Institution’s tracking station near Johannesburg. said a study of the orbits indicated the ships were fired from Kosomondor in Kazakhstan, about 220 miles east of the Aral Sea, and would land about 380 miles north of Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea. Third Day

Major Nikolayev passed his 48th hour and entered his third day in space at 8.30 a.m. G.M.T.

Colonel Popovich, orbiting in a second space ship nearby, finished his first 24 hours at 8.02 a.m. G.M.T-, the British United Press reported.

After the two cosmonauts had slept, with their spaceships flying on under radio control from Soviet ground stations, a radio voice saying “Good morning, Comrade Nikolayev,” and then “Good morning. Comrade Popovich,” roused the two men for breakfast. They reported cheerfully that they were both fine.

Vostok 111 had completed 33 orbits of the earth by 9 a.m. G.M.T.. says Moscow Radio. Vostok IV had completed 17. Professor Lazar Lyusternik. a corresponding member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. told Tass the simultaneous flight proved a new calculation technique had appeared which allowed hussia to make the launching of spaceships to a planned height a matter of routine. Pulse Rates

In an announcement at 9.30 a.m. G.M.T., Moscow Radio said that the cosmonauts’ pulse beats were 60-65 and the temperature in their two cabins was 59 to 64.4 degrees. Air humidity and atmospheric pressure in the cabins were described as normal, the British United Press said.

Medical and hygienic conditions in the two cabins were fully maintained and Major Nikolayev and Colonel Popovich reported that they were feeling very well and were successfully carrying out the flight programme. During the boost stage and transition to weightlessness Colonel Popovich's pulse shot up for a time to 102-104, but later went down quickly and stabilised between 60 and 72. A British United Press report from Tokyo said scientists of the Japan Radio Waves Institute said they estimated that the Russian space ships were about 125 miles apart when they passed over Japan on Sunday evening.

Shortly after Colonel Popovich began circling the earth. Major Nikolayev told control headquarters he was watching Popovich’s ship through his porthole.