Recovery Problem

Catching up with the rumors, the Russians officially declared Laika dead (of asphyxiation) last week and declared that they never had any intention of bringing her back alive. Said Physiologist Aleksei Pokrovsky, trainer of space dogs: "Since the problem, of recovery has not yet been solved, it would have been useless to add to the satellite's weight by burdening it with such apparatus."

By "recovery problem" the Russians did not mean the problem of bringing the warhead of a long-range missile down through the atmosphere. To recover a living animal that has been riding in a satellite is in some ways harder, in other ways easier. A satellite has to move faster than an ICBM and therefore must dissipate more energy before it can enter dense low-altitude air without burning up. But it has the advantage of skimming the thin top of the atmosphere instead of plunging into it at a steep angle. Theoretically, it can be made to approach the atmosphere gradually in a gentle spiral. The skin will get hot, but if it is made of heat-resistant metal, it may not soften, and proper insulation may keep the interior cool enough for the animal to survive. The re-entry body of an ICBM can be made solider and stronger than an inhabited satellite, but it must hit the atmosphere suddenly, and even if it does not melt, the enormous forces of deceleration will be too much for a living passenger, dog or man.

Radios on both Sputnik I and II are now dead, and the Russians are concentrating on optical observation. The life of Sputnik I, say the Russians, should be about three months; thus the satellite should stay aloft until the new year. Its carrier rocket, which has more air drag, will spiral down and burn out sooner. Sputnik II has not been aloft long enough to permit accurate predictions, but since it is heavy and not very big, it has low drag in proportion to its weight. Also it orbits higher in thinner air. So the Russians think it will circle the earth considerably longer than Sputnik I.

At a Moscow press conference, the Russian space scientists cautiously discussed future plans and projects. They would not predict when the next Sputnik would be launched. Several more dogs will be shot into space, said Pokrovsky, before risking a live human.

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