Electronics success rocket

THE SOVIET UNION recorded a major technological achievement yesterday unmanned spacecraft Luna-16 successfully combleted its return iourney from the moon and soft-landed in a pre-set area in Soviet Asia. soft-landed in a pre-se The lunar capsule, carrying rock samples automatically cut from the moon's surface, parachuted to earth 50 miles South East of Dzezkazgan in the Asian steppes and was later picked up by helicopter.

The weight of the samples - from the previously unexplored Sea of Fertility-is at present unknown but they wil be the nrst substantial sample: available for analysis by the Soviet Academy of Sciences. *area in Soviet Asia.

The American Apollo-11 and 12 flights brought back a total of 177 Ibs of material and it is likely that the Russians have some detailed knowledge of its make-up since Czechoslovakia received small sample from the second expedition.

NONSENSE

some truth in reports that the Although there Soviet space programme has experienced some delays due to problems with the giant boosters, the latest success makes nonsense of the usua criticism of Soviet electronics.

Luna-16 had to carry out a complex series of operations to complete its tasks. Before landing it orbited the moon at a height of 68 miles and was then brought down to 10 miles.

From this orbit, it descended to a height of just under 2,000 feet at which brakingunit went into oper precisior ation.

until the The me nanine wee ted descent then minor engines took over, cutting out when six feet above the lunar surface.

COLLECTED

Samples were collected from up to 13 inches below the lunar surface and hermetically sealed in the craft.

the moon the ship to act as a launching platform and this is continuing to yield information, according to Soviet sources During the voyage, nearly 100 communications sessions were held with the craft, yielding information about space conditions. of Coviet Weekly sast issue "This success provides weighty support for the view stressed by Soviet space researchers that, in these early stages of moon-exploration, all the research can be carried out with complete efficiency by robot installations.

'Indeed, much of the. most important impending planetary research will have to be conducted by robots — only the Moon and Mars can conceivably be visited by man..* 'Such research also. course, much more economic.' Most important — and left unsaid bj 'Soviet Weekly" -is that the Soviet programme owes its success predominantly to the nationalized property THE US-backed Brazilian dictatorship, notorious for its use of torture and assassination against political opponents, is trying to head off the trade union movement by providing finance for various 'welfare' activities.

When President Medici met leaders of the 4,500,000-strong National Confederation of Industrial Workers (CNTI) in Brazilia last week, they demanded, among other things, an end to the wage freeze imposed since 1964.

Medici replied that he was determined to seé la more equitable distribution of riches' and offered, as a sop, tunds to be used directly by the unions, for medical, educational and cultural schemes.

In La. Paz, capital of BOLIVIA, where there were wide spread demonstrations earlier this week, the government has ordered the closing of all schools and colleges.

And in Trinidad, a town to the NE of La Paz, police killed one student and wounded three others when attacking a demonstration on •Tuesday.

FRANCE:

SACKINGS SO Works Brought bit 5,600 workmates at the Boussac textile plants in the Vosges region of E France yesterday.

The management had refused to withdraw any of the dismissal notices, scheduled to take effect in the spring of next year.

Such actions are becoming frequent in France, with union leaders calling protest strikes but refusing determined fight against increasing unemployment in the older CONCORDE And at the SNIAS (State Aerospace Industries) plant in Toulouse, SW France, where the Concorde is being duced, thousands of i orkers struck on Tuesday for a new company-wide pay agreement.

SNIAS employs 43,000 workers in plants throughout France.

Manage year increased in real wages, but is attempting to do away with seniority paymet they will not give way, union leaders will probably be compelled to call a strike of all employees.

WEATHER London area, SE center anther. England. central norther" midlands Channel Islande Dru. Mist or fog early. Wind light, southerly. Max.

(73F).

NW tered showers. ing very are as: C T0:

oming very warm. 2C (7OF), Cry and becoming brighter, southerly actook for Saturday moderate. Normal. Outlook Rather cloudy and ndryi with outbreaks of * Mainly Temperatures near normal. and warm elsewhere with sunny eriod developing after clearance rning fog.