SOVIET VIEWS ON FUTURE SPACE OPERATIONS

Created: 7/31/1963

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

WJ4

FOR RELEASE2

3

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Soviet Views on Future Space Operations

Dr. Hugh Dryden of NASA hasetter, dated from Sir Bernard Lovell, Director of the Jodrell Bankobservatory, forwarding the suggestions of Matislav Reldysh, President of the Academy of Sciences USSR.

During his talks with Lovell, Keldysh suggested that plans for an early manned lunar landing should be developed on an international basis. Keldysh claimed that Soviet

, scientists had rejected any manned lunar landing mission for the tine being because of the hazards of solar flares, the tremendous launch propulsion requirements, and the ability

of unmanned instrumented probes to solve the scientific problems involved in lunar exploration more cheaply and quickly.

Lovell concluded during his conversations with Keldysh that decisions had been made by the Soviets to continue instrumented probes to Mars, Venus, and the moon; that the apparatusoft landing of Instruments on the moon will be ready for launchatter of months; and that rendezvous and docking techniques would be developed "with an immediate aim fanned space platform for astronomical observations. Lovell also forwarded the detailsooperative program arranged between Jodrell Bank and tho Deep Space Tracking Center at Yevpatoriya, which he visited during his recent trip to the USSR.

We believe that the proposal submitted bya manned lunar enterprise be considered on an internationalanother stepoviet move to internationalize manned lunar exploration. This step closely coincides with one taken during an early3 meeting of the Executive

Committee of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) legc. Belgium. AccordingS scientist, V. A. Arabartsumyamember of the Academy of Sciences USSR and President of tho .foreign scientists that both he and Keldysh arehe opinion that any attempted manned flight to the moone deferred at this time in favor of deep space probes, tated that the potential scientific results that might be

obtainedanned lunar mission do not Justify the groat

expenses necessary to achieve it.

Original document.

---

---