Medford mail tribune., January 19, 1958, Image 38

Wh
A renowned German-born pioneer in the new age of rocketry, Willy
Ley was exploring the theories of missile travel more than three
decades before man's initial probing of outer space. In 1927 he helped
found the German Rocket Society, whose members gathered much of
our fundamental knowledge of rocketry. Later he became vice
president of the society and a world authority on rocket and missile
development. Hitler's rise to power caused Ley to take an "extended
vacation" from his homeland in 1935. He settled in the United States,
became a citizen, and made outstanding contributions to the
understanding of man's future in outer space. Author of 10 books and
numerous articles. Ley is a member of the American Rocket Society,
Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, Society of American Military
Engineers, and the American Association for the Advancement of
Science. He is also a fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and
the Meteoritical Society.
BY WILLY LEY
Here is an expert's post-Sputnik
analysis of the U.S.-Russian
struggle for missile supremacy.
Ever since the first Sputnik appeared in the evening
sky last Oct. 4, I have been answering ques
tions from the press, from radio and television
commentators, from chairmen of lecture groups, and
from the public generally. The following, of course,
isn't a complete list of all the questions I've been
asked, but it covers those which were asked most
frequently about Sputnik and rocket development.
1. What did the Russians da and how did they do it?
The method of putting an artificial satellite into an
orbit around the earth has been discussed in scientific
circles since 1923. It was known to scientists that two
things would have to be done:
A. A rocket would first have to rise to a height of
more than 150 miles. It would not have to go straight
up, but could go at a slant (after vertical take-off);
in fact, the slantwise ascent was deemed better for
various scientific reasons.
B. Once the rocket had attained such a height, it
would have to move parallel to the ground and in
crease its speed to 4.6 miles per second. That would
put it into an elliptical path around the earth. Travel
ing in this path on momentum only it would pro
duce enough centrifugal force to counterbalance the
earth's gravitational attraction at that distance.
This is what the Russians did: they got their rockets
into the upper atmosphere and provided them with
the necessary velocity.
2. What kind of rockets did the Russians use? And did
they use new and unknown fuels?
The Russians must have used two different kinds
of rockets for their first two satellite shots. For Sput
nik I they certainly used the missile which they call
T-2. This is the kind that we call IRBM (intermediate
range ballistic missile) and which has a range of
1,500 miles when used as a weapon. It is a two-stage
missile with liquid fuels. For the satellite shot they
put a third stage on top of it, instead of a warhead.
The third stage carried the satellite.
For Sputnik II they probably used the missile which
they call T-3 and which is their ICBM (interconti
nental ballistic missile). This Soviet missile when
used as a weapon has a range of 4,000 miles or better.
In spite of much talk, they probably did not use a
new and secret fuel; their official reports say that the
fuel for these rockets is highly refined kerosene and
liquid oxygen, and American observers have found no
reason to doubt this statement.
3. Could such a Sputnik drop on our heads?
No. If a rocket, or the satellite it carried, has
enough speed to stay in an orbit, it will remain in an
orbit. There is no known method of suddenly stopping
it in its orbit and making it come straight down.
What will happen is that these rockets will gradually
come closer to the earth because they still find a little
bit of air resistance at the height where they are.
Finally they will hit denser air at a height of about
20 miles and will be heated by air friction to such an
extent that they will be vaporized. This will happen
about a year from now, but it may take longer.
A
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i iriii
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A
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Ley claims Army Redstone, shown here Army's "big four" rockets include (left to right) U.S. intermediate range ballistic missiles in- Jupiter-C
in flight, is "an excellent weapon."- Honest John, Nike, Wac Corporal, and Redstone, elude Army Jupiter (left) and Air Force Thor. ful test of
was used in success-re-entry
nose cone. '
12
Family Weekly, January 10, 195S
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