RICH DISCOVERIES BY GEMINI X

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31123, 28 July 1966, Page 17

RICH DISCOVERIES BY GEMINI X

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright) CAPE KENNEDY, July 27. How to spot an enemy spacecraft secretly orbiting in space may have been discovered by one of the ambitious scientific experiments crammed into the Gemini X flight schedule.

The astronauts John Young and Michael Collins brought back a veritable treasure trove from space which may help to develop complex navigational and enemy detection systems of the future. As a spacecraft whirls around the earth, it leaves its “signature” written as clearly as a man writes his name. Invisible to the naked eye, the shock wave in front and the ionosphere wake behind can be seen by ion-sensing detectors. These detectors, located on the docking adapter of the Agena target rocket attempted to “map” the trail of Gemini X and its inter-action with molecules as it swept through the heavens. Hundreds of papers have been written on what happens when a spacecraft orbits in the vacuum of space, but not a single measurement is known to have been taken by either the Russians or Americans until Gemini X. Once a “signature” can be readily obtained, the future possibilities of development are enormous. An advanced system of this kind could spot and track an enemy space station or spacecraft, keeping watch on its movements with the ease of radar “watching” ah airplane. Space Rescue Advanced ion-sensing systems could also be used to conduct a space rescue from a helpless craft which has lost all communications. Furthermore, there is the interesting

possibility of using such equipment to rendezvous and dock two unmanned satellites by ground command. One could go to “inspect” the other, or to join it for some special mission. Another ion-sensing experiment was conducted by the astronauts to see how well orbital attitude and guidance could be accomplished by measuring the spacecraft’s position in space by the flow of ions. With the aid of two ion sensors located on booms extending from the spacecraft’s rear section, the astronauts tried to measure the position of the spacecraft and compare it with information from the guidance system on board, and information from the ground. Young reported it went “very well.” Agena Packet Success in this venture could lead to simpler, more reliable, light-weight guidance and navigation systems in the future. Scientists were delighted that Collins retrieved the micro-meteorite package from the Agena left in orbit from the Gemini VIII mission. Although the astronaut David Scott did not have the chance to fully open the package, due to the runaway thruster which cut Gemini VIII short, a number of experiments were located on the outside of the package. The package contained some virus “bugs” which were exposed to the harsh environment of space for four months. The condition of these “bugs” will do much to determine how well life can exist in space. Biologists believe that examination . of similar virus specimens inside the package will be very valuable in telling how radiation from cosmic rays affects small forms of life in space. Virus Bugs

were shielded fared very well, indicating that micro-biologi-cal life needs only a small amount of covering to protect it. This lends support to the theory that there may be life in extra-terrestrial space, and that small organisms might exist in space dust and small meteors, travelling from planet to planet. Astronomers are eagerly inspecting the results of a first step taken by Gemini X, leading to the building of a telescope on a space station or on the moon as a permanent manned observatory of the universe. This step, opening a new era in star study, was photographing stars with an ultra-violet-type camera. Other Pictures Young and Collins also took other pictures to learn more about the zodiacal light, weather, world-wide terrain features (including the ocean), and other phases of the world of space. Experiments also measured the amount of radiation, both inside and outside the spacecraft, through which the astronauts passed as they swept upwards into the highest orbit ever reached by man. The information will provide guidelines for Apollo flights, and indicate how many gamma rays get through the spacecraft walls. The radiation dose was very small—far less than that of a clinical X-ray.

In a similar package brought back from Gemini IX, scientists were surprised to discover that a small percentage of different types of virus bugs survived 16 hours of the rigours of space. Those that