Moscow High, Houston Low

Things were going so well aboard the Soviet Union's Salyut space laboratory last week that there were hints in Moscow that the manned flight might last a month or more. Inside Salyut's large cabin, the three cosmonauts were running tests to determine the physical effects of weightlessness on man, tending a small on-board vegetable patch in which cabbages and onions were growing, and comparing their observations of earth with those being made from two planes flying at much lower altitudes directly below them. Not forgetting their other obligations, the cosmonauts also took time to radio their approval of "the wise foreign and domestic policy of our Communist Party."

Resignations. U.S. astronauts had far less reason to be pleased with their Government. As a result of congressional budget slashing, only two more Apollo missions are scheduled after next month's flight to the moon, and the highly touted Skylab program--comparable to the Soviets' Salyut series--has been cut from six to three missions.

These reductions mean that even under the best of circumstances only 18 of the 45 highly trained men still active in the astronaut program have any hopes of getting a space flight in the next few years--nine on the three remaining Apollo shots and nine on the three Skylab missions, scheduled to begin in 1973. Many astronauts have already quit in disgust. The latest: Walt Cunningham, a member of the first manned Apollo flight, who coupled his resignation last week with a sharp blast at what he sees as growing U.S. indifference to space ventures. Within the astronaut ranks, there is even greater cause for complaint. The twelve remaining scientist-astronauts, recruited amid considerable fanfare in 1965 and 1967, have so far been confined to missions no more dramatic than T-38 jet-trainer flights.

Their feelings are expressed by former scientist-astronaut Brian O'Leary in his book, The Making of an Ex-Astronaut (Houghton Mifflin). O'Leary denounces what he calls the undisguised "test-pilot dominance" at Houston's Manned Spacecraft Center. Largely at the insistence of Donald K. ("Deke") Slayton, the influential director of flight-crew operations, only experienced military and civilian fliers have been chosen for Apollo crews. Such skilled aviators were surely essential on the first space flights. But now that flight and landing techniques are well developed and scientific experimentation has come to the fore, the scientists argue that the importance of the jet pilots' role has diminished.

Like Robots. Some scientist-astronauts grumble that the scientific ineptness of some of the pilots has already been costly. Apollo 14 Astronauts Al Shepard and Ed Mitchell aligned antennas so poorly that only weak radio signals from lunar experiments are being received on earth. Says one NASA scientist of their performance: "They acted like robots, picked up rocks, put out equipment and took pictures. But they didn't really see anything."

Scientific background will be increasingly important in forthcoming U.S. missions. The Skylab program already calls for 53 sophisticated experiments, ranging from biomedical studies of the human body in space to operation of delicate earth sensors and astronomical telescopes. Yet scientist-astronauts are sure of only 1 out of 3 seats on each Skylab mission. There is, of course, a slim chance that some of Houston's selections may be overruled by NASA headquarters in Washington. Trouble is, any switch could be costly. Nine prime and six backup Skylab crewmen have already been picked and will soon be fitted for their space suits. Since the individually tailored suits cost $120,000 apiece and are not easily interchangeable, budget-conscious NASA is not likely to make late changes in the Skylab lineup.

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