End of the myth

IN FIVE DAYS time, dawn will break over the Sea of Rains and the sun's rays will fall on this desolate sea of lunar rock for the first time in 14 PAGE PRESS Thursday, December 3, 1970

days.

As the temperature begins to climb from over 200 degrees of frost, a control will be operated in the Soviet Union and Russiah seconds later, Russian scientists know whether Lunokhod 1 — a small man-made vehicle parked nearly a quarter of a million miles away—has survived the lunar night and is ready to move again.

If it does, it will be the first automatic lunar vehicle to do so. Lunokhod will open its solar panels to receive the sun's energy recharge teries. With this achieved, it will be able to move again and to continue programme experiments began soon after the robot rolled down the ramp of the unmanned Luna-17 spacecraft on November 17. sites and, of course, returning to earth.

The Luna-17 flight has been acknowledged scientists everywhere as a major step forward exploration. Should Lunokhod survive the lunar cold, it will be a massive argument against the American manned lunar exploration programme from almost every viewCost: Unmanned flights cost about 4 per cent of a manned space shot. Even if more elaborate robots are sent to the moon, it would still be possible to have a team of about a dozen machines, surveying the lunar crust for the cost of sending two astronauts and a mooncar (as planned for the Apollo-15 moonshot next year).

Safety: Machines are dispensable, human beings aren't. Automatic mooncraft can land in areas of the moon where the terrain is too rugged to attempt a manned landing at present. Manned spacecraft must always carry extra fuel for manoeuvring in search of optimum landing a reliable satellite communications system is put in lunar orbit so as to ensure continuous contact with the expedition.

The fuel problem also excludes manned craft from exploring the moon's polar regions, which are considered scientifically extremely important.

This is because the moon's axis of rotation is almost parallel to that of the earth and the best orbits fuel-wise of mooncraft are those parallel to the lunar equator. To change such an orbit to one which passes over the moon's poles requires a large expenditure of fuel. Unmanned one-way journey-can carry adequate reserves of fuel and Soviet scientists may well attempt a polar landing in the near future.

Another area out of bounds for astronauts at present is the moon's rear, which we never see from earth. Here there is a communications problem. Whenever a spacecraft passes behind the moon, there is a radio blackout because radio waves cannot pass through the moon's body. Obviously, it will be impossible for man to spend extended periods behind the moon béfore present and therefore overlaps the final factor of scientific usefulness.

Such a communications system is certainly a must in the future and requires reliable sources of power for transmission. (In fact, Lunas 10, 11 and 12 are in lunar orbit, but are now dead.)

Store data Without such a system, the control of a Lunokhod behind the moon would also be impossible, but such a robot could carry out certain experiments by itself, store data and then travel into the area of 'radio visibility' to transmit its information.

Not being human, such an automation need not put in an appearance for long periods of time and the worst anxiety would only be over the loss of a machine.

The safety factor strictly limits the areas where man can go at margin, together with possible CC time under power, is increased ar through some breakthrough in rocket technology and/or power fr sources. SC The Soviet Union has never A ruled out manned lunar landings di from its long-term programme, but has insisted that such a pro- lo ject must be built on a hirm 1] foundation as part of a widel to programme. gI Commenting on Luna-17's suc- ac cess, one Soviet scientist wrote SI in Pravda: 2( 'There are still people in the -space hr demoi se but sa oThe designers of Soviet space aparter and on the basis s SI la el O1 in Yes a1 Pa

The techniques used for unmanned flights to the moon can be used to explore most of the planets in the solar system. Apart from the moon and Mars, it is doubtful whether any other body will be reached by man himself in the foreseeable future.

Indeed, I think it would be extremely risky to put a date on 'the first man on Mars', despite scientists. The cost has been estimated at greater than the whole Apollo programme (around $30,000 million) and • probably enough to finance hundreds of unmanned missions.

Manned bases on the moon and Mars for scientific investigation will certainly structed in the future, and the wealth of information accumulated by the Americans during the Apollo missions will extremely useful.

However, such voyages will remain dangerous and few and far between until the safety mVIn ZARROP inditions of maximum efficiency na tne least possible risk.' With the Apollo-13 fiasco still esh mind, this arcely-veiled of the mencar MOON programme no oubt found its mark.

Despite the technogical achievements OL APOLO land l2. it would be dificul the kussians of sour rapes. terms chievements' 'space hrsts, scientists lunar robot ehicle, from Sputnik to LunokHe fusian ispace in 19%i;

1968 about Soviet and so-called •Dace race'• loved by one aim to gain marie hover space explorers sum scientific information about pace meneral and mae baner. f the solar system in particufort th he leases. That is wot space research is conductedi SUCH wave that every new xperiment helps to solve some ssentially new problem.

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