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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0381.PDF
Official Organ ol the Royal Aero Club First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded in 1909 THURSDAY 15 MARCH 1962 Number 2766 Volumne 81 Editor-in- Chief MAURICE A. SMITH DFC Editor H. F. KINO MBE Technical Editor W. T. GU NSTON Air Transport Editor J. M. RAMSDEN Production Editor ROV CASEY Managing Director H. N. PRIAULX MBE In this issue World News 382 Defence Debated 384 Air Commerce 385 The Utmost Sale 392 French Industry 396 AAFCE: Europe's Air Defence 397 Straight and Level 403 Industry International 404 Sport and Business 407 Letters 409 Missiles and Spaceflight 411 Service Aviation 418 lliffe Transport Publications Ltd, Dorset House, Stamford Street, London SE1; telephone Waterloo 3333 (Telex 25137). Telegrams Flightpres London Telex. Annual subscriptions: Home £4 15s. Overseas £5. Canada and USA $15.00. Second Class Mail privileges authorized at New York, N.Y. Branch Offices Coventry: 8-10 Corpora tion Street: telephone Coventry 25210. Birmingham: King Edward House, New Street, 2; telephone Midland 7191. Man chester: 260 Deansgate 3; telephone Blackfriars 4412 or Deansgate 3595. Glasgow: 62 Buchanan Street CI; tele phone Central 1265-6. New York, NY: Thomas Skinner & Co (Publishers) Ltd, 111 Broadway 6; telephone Digby 9-1197. © Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd, 1962. Permission to reproduce illustra tions and letterpress can be granted only under written agreement. Brief extracts or comments may be made with due acknowledgement. Brinkmanship in Space LAST week, after the transformation scene in the U-2 affair had pro duced a national hero from an unpromising situation, applause deadened a noise off-stage—the launching, by the US Air Force, of a fourth secret satellite. The lesson of the U-2, it seems, has not been learned. In 1956 Flight was first to spotlight U-2 activities. We were first again, last December, in calling attention to apparent attempted deception by the omission of a USAF satellite launching from internationally agreed records kept since the IGY and Sputnik 1. The facts follow. On November 22, 1961, the USAF announced that a satellite had been "successfully launched" by Atlas Agena rocket from Point Arguello, California. On December 22, 1961, a similar announcement stated that another such satellite had been launched. No further details were supplied. Neither satellite was given an international designation, and both were omitted from an allegedly full list of space launchings in a report by President Kennedy. At the same time, in the United Nations, Mr Adlai Stevenson was introducing a resolution (adopted on December 11) which, among other things, called on States launching spacecraft "to furnish information promptly for purposes of registration of launchings." Mr Stevenson commented: "The first principle is that international law, including the UN charter, applies to outer space ... we should state explicitly that the rules of good international conduct follow [man] wherever he goes . . ." The discrepancy was clear. On February 21 this year, a USAF Thor Agena was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying "secret equipment." This was correctly designated as 1962 Delta, but no further information was given. Discoverer 38, launched on February 27, was also given its 1962 Epsilon designation but nothing further was disclosed. The most recent launching of a USAF "secret satellite" was from Point Arguello on March 7. It appears that the launchings of November 22 and December 22, 1961, and March 7, 1962, were of Samos reconnaissance or Midas early- warning satellites, and that those of February 21 and February 27 were Discoverers carrying Samos and/or Midas equipment. Together with Midas 4 (October 21, 1961), this makes six major launches on which basic orbital information has been withheld from world scientists. Our Objections Let us list our objections. US Air Force secrecy on basic orbital data is not in line with the US-sponsored United Nations resolution. It prevents world scientists from studying the orbits and so learning new facts about the structure of the high atmosphere. It is of doubtful military value, for the satellites concerned can undoubtedly be observed from the Soviet Union, as at least one has been observed from this country. And this secrecy represents a double standard, which is not tenable. For world science and world politics, then, the American attitude is dangerous. Scientifically, there is a parallel in the ill-advised West Ford project to place a belt of dipoles in orbit—a second attempt at which is now to be made. Politically, the parallel with the U-2 is too close for comfort. In 1956 Flight readers observed U-2 operations. Now a reader has reported the observation of a secret USAF satellite. The 1960 Summit meeting preparations were blasted by the ill timing of the U-2 affair. Now, a satellite carrying observation equipment is launched on the day following Mr Khrushchev's suggestion of co-operation in space. This is not what Mr Stevenson calls "good international conduct." This is brinkmanship in space.
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