U.S. Spacemen Not Discouraged

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29908, 23 August 1962, Page 13

U.S. Spacemen Not Discouraged

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

HOUSTON (Texas), Aug. 22. American astronauts are not discouraged by the twin orbital mission of the Russian cosmonauts, according to one of them. Commander Maleolm Scott Carpenter.

“We are challenged,” Commander Carpenter told a press conference yesterday. He spoke to reporters after presenting a forma] report on his three-orbit May 24 flight, the Associated Press reported

The associate director of America's manned spacecraft

centre, Mr Walter Williams, told a scientific conference on May 1 that current plans called for one-day Sights after a six-orbit flight in September, Mr Williams did not mention the Soviet Union, but said: “We are cognisant about others in the same field, but their stay in space has been longer than ours. Experience is needed for a solid foundation. We have to obtain data on our own systems, and only in thia way will we have a solid foundation.” The director of the space centre, Mr Robert Gilruth,

said the Russian flights should not be underestimated, and not overestimated. “But, personally, the placing of two men in orbit at the same time was a surprise,” he said. Mr Williams was asked if the United States could place two Project Mercury spacecraft in orbit at the same time. “I’ve never looked at the problem at that close a detail,” he replied. Mr Gilruth said he would not want to give in detail the ’*• number of remaining flights to be carried out before Project Gemini, which will make use of two-man

spacecraft. “I would say there will be at least one six-orbit flight and at least one 24hour flight.” he said. Mr Gilruth said he saw no danger to space flights from radiation resulting from nuclear tests, but said the matter was being studied. Britain’s Ariel satellite, affected by the American high-altitude nuclear test, had been silent since Sunday, British scientists said yesterday. A Ministry of Science spokesman said? the trouble started four days after the Americans exploded their upper-atmosphere bomb.