Satellite May Return

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31151, 30 August 1966, Page 17

Satellite May Return

(N.Z.P.A Reuter—Copyright >

LONDON, August 29.

Russia might try to bring its moonorbiting satellite, Luna XI, back to earth, the director of Britain’s giant radio-telescope observatory at Jodrell Bank, Sir Bernard Lovell, said today.

The satellite has gone into orbit round the moon, the news agency Tass announced today in Moscow.

Luna XI has joined America’s Lunar Orbiter I and another Russian sputnik in orbit. Sir Bernard Lovell was the first to report its successful orbiting. There is no indication so far as to whether the spacecraft was carping cameras. Tass only said that it was “the second Soviet man-made satellite of the moon.” The first Luna X, went into lunar orbit on April 3 and sent back vital information on space conditions near the moon. FURTHER SIGNALS Jodrell Bank, which has been monitoring the spacecraft launched last Wednes-

day, picked up further signals for a 10-minute period early today.

Sir Bernard Lovell said the period of orbit was exactly three hours around the moon, a few hundred miles above the surface.

“We find it extremely difficult to believe that this is the ultimate intention of Luna XI,” he said. “We expect some further exercise to be carried out with it POSSIBILITIES

“The possibilities one can speculate on are that it might be separable, landing one part and keeping the other in orbit: attempt to land the entire vehicle or take it out of a lunar orbit and bring it back to earth."

“If they do have reserve rocket power it is unlikely they will do this until tonight." He said the character of the signals were those associated with “orbit determination."