Better View For Russians

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 1

Better View For Russians

(N.Z. Press Association)

AJJCKLAND, May 12. Russian cosmonaut:

got a better trip round the earth from a tourist point of view than did United States astronauts, the Apollo 7 astronaut, Walter Cunningham, said when he arrived in Auckland today from Sydney.

“The Russians have a better, tourist trip because the

angle of inclination of their orbital plane is greater than; ours. This enables them to see more than we do,” he said.

Mr Cunningham and his wife will visit Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch as guests of honour for the Battle of the Coral Sea commemoration ceremonies. With Walter Schirra and Don Eisele he orbited the earth for 11 days last October in the Apollo 7 craft “We only saw New Zealand at night. I remember seeing some lights but they could have easily been Wellington’s

and not Auckland’s,” he said. Weightlessness, he said, was more comfortable than sitting on a chair. He said he did not think the forthcoming lunar land-

ing would be significantly different from the point of view of safety from other missions. It would be very similar to the Apollo 8 mission.

“I think we have done the . best we can to reduce any risk in the programme,” he said. He said he thought they knew the hazards that existed and they were not considering anything that was unknown. “I have been prepared all my i life for any sort of mission. My way of life says: ‘Pick up the challenge and go put and do it.’ “i would die of boredom .if I didn’t have a job with unexpected things happening and more work in the office than I could possibly do. “I look upon flying a space mission as being the same as flying an aeroplane,” he said.