Space Exploration: Racing for the Moon

The U.S.S.R. docked two unmanned satellites by remote control last October; ever since, U.S. space experts have watched and waited for the next Soviet moves toward a manned moon landing. Within the past two weeks, the Russians took two steps in that direction: a second automatic linkup of two unmanned spacecraft, Cosmos 212 and 213, in earth orbit last week; and, five days earlier, an unmanned orbiting of the moon by the spacecraft Luna 14.

The latest docking pas de deux in the Cosmos series, U.S. space watchers say, increases chances that Russia will send its cosmonauts to a moon landing from an earth orbit. The spacecraft that were hooked together were of the Soyuz type, each with a capacity of from three to six men. Manned, a two-Soyuz hookup could be a counterpart to the U.S. Air Force's proposed manned orbiting laboratory. Four or five of them, linked up like spokes of a wheel, could serve as an assembly plant for a manned lunar vehicle.

Go for Broke? U.S. space officials were not particularly awed by the technology involved in the Russians' docking maneuver. The U.S. has carried out ten manned rendezvous in space since Gemini 6 and 7 first got together in December 1965, and the U.S. has all the guidance and control equipment necessary for automatic docking Soviet style. More significant, say NASA scientists, would be the safe return to earth of Luna 14 from its orbit around the moon. Such an accomplishment would open the way to a manned circumlunar flight, which would place the U.S.S.R. ahead of the U.S. in at least one heat of the moon race.

NASA has yet to decide whether or not it will fly a manned circumlunar orbit before attempting to land a man on the moon. Some NASA officials believe that such a preparatory flight would improve the chances for a trouble-free descent to the lunar surface. Others oppose it. Once an Apollo is in orbit around the moon with all its equipment functioning, runs the argument, why not go for broke?

Despite the controversy and the most recent Soviet space achievements, U.S. experts are still convinced that they will be first to put a man on the moon—probably by late next year. The Soviet moon schedule, they point out, was set back a year by the disastrous malfunction of Soyuz 1 (TIME, May 5), which took the life of Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. As a result, the Russians have been forced to increase the tempo of space activity. They are now spending twice as much as the U.S., and even hold a spare booster rocket in readiness during each major space shot in case the primary booster fails.