Oct 11 1971
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R.'s Salyut 1, first manned space laboratory (launched April 19), reentered earth's atmosphere on command and disintegrated over Pacific Ocean after completing its program, Tass announced. Flight of orbital station, lasting about six months, had consisted of two phases. First was station's joint flight with Soyuz 10 spacecraft (launched April 23), piloted by Cosmonauts Vladimir A. Shatalov, Aleksey S. Yeliseyev, and Nikolay N. Rukavishnikov. Soyuz 10 linked up with Salyut 1 for 51/2 hours, docked, and reentered April 25. Second phase began June 6 with orbiting of Soyuz 11, carrying Cosmonauts Georgy T. Dobrovolsky, Vladislav N. Volkov, and Viktor I. Patsayev. Spacecraft docked with station June 7 and Soyuz 11 three-man crew transferred to Salyut 1 for 23-day stay. While on board, crew carried out comprehensive scientific and technical studies and experiments. Upon return June 30 after record- breaking near-24 days in space, three cosmonauts were found dead in spacecraft. Soviet authorities said deaths were caused by sudden loss of pressure in Soyuz capsule. Salyut 1 remained in orbit until Oct. 11, when braking engine was switched on to decelerate spacecraft; station began descending trajectory and entered atmosphere. Lost with Salyut 1 were films, tapes, biological samples, and scientific experiments left on board by Soyuz 10 cosmonauts. During entire lifetime, orbital station's onboard equipment operated normally. Since spacecraft was not recoverable and might fall on populated area if left to deorbit naturally, it had to be destroyed. (FBIS-Sov-201-3, 10/18/71, L1; FBIS-Sov-205-3, 10/22/71, LI; Reuters, B Sun, 10/16/71, A3; Av Wk, 10/25/72, 14)
Space program for 1970s was outlined by Dr. Wernher von Braun, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, in speech before Society of Sigma Xi at Daytona Beach, Fla. It would be "program of transition; a program in which the exploration and technical pioneering of the Sixties will begin to pay substantive dividends; it is the logical transition to the intensive and economic use of space in the 80's and 90's. Strong evidence will emerge that will refute many of the arguments advanced against science and technology as embodied in the space program." Program's primary strength was "that it is balanced to meet the basic national needs." Program "strikes a harmony among scientific exploration in space, the practical utilization of space, and the development of improved technologies for space." (Text)
Molniya II earth station in U.S. for new U.S.-U.S.S.R. "hotline" comsat would be under U.S. Government control but might be owned and operated under contract by private entity, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Hotline system would consist of two duplex telephone-bandwidth circuits for secondary telegraphic multiplexing and four ground stations for transmission and reception. (Av Wk, 10/11/71, 17)
U.S. scientists conceded that U.S.S.R. led U.S. in many areas of basic research and space medicine largely because U.S. had "opted for an engineering approach to manned space flight and deliberately ignored some areas of theoretical research as irrelevant to the moon landing mission," Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Scientists were worried that political developments in U.S.S.R. could harm free flow of this data. (Av Wk, 10/11/71, 15)
Satellite photos of U.S.S.R. had shown continued construction of two new classes of silos for large missile, construction of third class of silo, and doubling of production facilities for Soviet missile submarines, New York Times reported. (Beecher, NYT, 10/11/71, 9)
October 11-14: Joint U.S: U.S.S.R. Space Biology and Medicine Working Group-cochaired by Dr. Charles A. Berry, NASA Director for Life Sciences, and Dr. N. N. Gurovsky of Soviet Academy of Sciences-met in Moscow. Statement issued by American Embassy on completion of meetings said group had begun "exchange of data and results from the Soyuz and Apollo programs and developed recommendations and procedures for expanded exchange of information in space biology and medicine." Recommendations would be forwarded to Dr. George M. Low, NASA Deputy Administrator, and to Soviet Academy of Sciences President Mstislav V. Keldysh. (NASA Release 71-204)
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