SOVIET ROCKET PROGRAM AND EARTH SATELLITE

Document Type: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
0000124296
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
September 22, 2017
Document Release Date: 
October 4, 2017
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
F-1990-01132
Publication Date: 
December 2, 1957
File: 
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PDF icon DOC_0000124296.pdf313.68 KB
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PREPARED AND DISSEMINATED BY CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY .O of 1.1G(~~ ~I NO. Of IK?l. CO 3Oit 57, A. A. Htagouravov aff're a per discussing the lifetime of the satellite. Be wished to leave the Impression that the set of eoodittms he postulated vere purely hypothetical and had no relrtiooship to the Ressian program. (Obviously, if the imssians bad made all of these calculations, they were going to use them.) These calculations were based on the satellite's being 10 kilograms in weight and Ming a diameter of one-half meter. This Would be comparable to the U. B. satellite. 2. The above data were based on the presumption that the orbit bad a perigee of 360 lma and apogee of 700 Ins. Then Bta.onravov gave data for three o'.hrr sets of cond1tixs which really gives information ot, what the Puasiane think densitier in the atnospbere are at these heights: a. F rigee - 200 kaa Apogee 360 kr.s I.ifetiar of satellite 3 days b. Perigee - 360 +ans Apogee 800 i s Lifetime of satellite 15 mos. _ fetIald ? _...-r. Svsrce csvxntcd t?at=the atmosphere ~ey`are using isooe_ _.- the densities postulated for the.taiddle region (100-200 miles) are sans- viat esn1ler than the densities further aiit night possibly be higtr_.~ _ t In the afternoon session, T!W 7Akhsr6enk6took notes for tbe~2>uaiLlas. die interpreted sax of the this that they bad s4l& a day or so pr v-iously when they could not be well understood because of YNT Dudenkov's poor interpreting. Be said two significant things: (1) They felt that EuiCai.ce vas t_he =---at ccplicnted engineering problem they had. (2) She Russians had triedke clear that they were not too concerned about !racking on .heir first orbit attespts because they expected these to be vay off the predicted courr.e. Later they said they vould try to be nave precise. (These two statements go together. They indicate the Riss:an methods or approach is a luckshot one since their guidance is weak.) j. It has beccs, very erioent that they viii not use 108 megacycles in their early attearte; that the frequencies of the radio emission will be 20 and 40 megacycles. When pressed, ifasatkin did indicate that 108 rsgeeycleq might veil be Included in our next series of satellites It vas impossible to determine what was meant by this phrase. Be was asked vt,ther the isssians would entertain any sort of action as the part of this country or of CSAWI to ensure this 108 nagacycle use amd be indicated that really nothing could be done. If they were going to do it, they would do it without any further request. Release 'Approved for Date 1 iSEP 5, itbza prossed, A. >4 xiaeath n expre.ee4 ignorance of the details of the p*-'it;e program, e cIi ss to be ? rocket son. as vas a bit Inooaslstaat. Be u..- 20--40 eS in rockets: yet vbm asked vbat the &ntem? configuration was, be said be did not know. 'Jbe iissi.ans had not as yet set p radio tracking networks for satellite obeervatioo. It vas being considered but bad not yet been done. Sasatkin also said there vas an optical tracking program an an amateur aeopa similar to Dane 1loonbaa= program and used the number 66 as the number of stations they bad lined up. se vas not clear an vhather signals-would be plans or circularly palarirad.. Ik Said be would at a lakter date send information to us e.g to wbat kind of inftrmtir n the Iivsaiann would like ,it of asp' radio reception the U. S. sbonld make. A list of questions vas drawn up as to vhat kind of observations the radio observers sbosrld Make which voald be of use in the eyes of the $issi.ana. 6. The wrking Group it Tracking mad Computation desires to a*basizet tt..ttatloo' scientific value of prealslon orbital information and recognising the of optical methods with respect to the msaber of observations in ? liadted period recommends that whenever possible all satellites carry Deana fn~ traassitting radio signals at a frequency high enough to s?ke poissiblo high precision radio measurements of satellite positions. The Rrsaians accepted this as a resolution. They also pointed out that they bad described the 20 and 40 megacycle equipment in a publication Radio, amber 6. g, ,en asked hex they were going to beadle the larger ta4ear~s, 1CasatJsSnreplied Y inning they are oat the be t Mseatkiss Slitlr'CfTie4 3II iiaa -rcwoaw may' -- - ---- - _: S ,"'+ s ~t 8071!'t dl3A~RtQf totO t snlaBi bL aiOUZ;d'jdven ~-' g n that he did not know. Later he said tha interested in the way "in which the U. S. is interested" but they expected to get principally the tine of Zenith crossing by observing the Doppler effect.- In other words,the DO would be high as it approached and would rapidly drop off' ? but by droving a curve of the change in frequen7 yen .A-4++.Al. It Is 'vary crude. v call a contair'r and hand it to the military satellite or the rocket.) 9. 7olloviag are soave+'s Js~4aicas based on the coafexrooe peooeedif $ up to 3 Oct 57. He gat#.nrb; that it is probably weak an guidanne and that it is a hit or miss affair It i abate Sham k eondluaiom as to vb?thnr or not they have already fired are two says'oClookt38at its (1) they did fire and now realize etbay bave a b.ar by the tai3a and there is such sore work to dobef=e where they can go such further, or (2) they have not gotten to the Point they ors reedy to take a shot and again they have a bear by the tail. Some.' belicovee they are a long way from letting one of these go. (mss eosas .~_ ..___ s.l~. a shots Tbs atateadUt a e satellite.progran_mad that the military have us --- glen that pereotiael asske a ratb r cmglete selt'conteln package bo then fit it into the -- _ +ir- . _ _ _ paraonnel $ O quite Military Dust have e-rery ti4rtsecurity policy with respect to the d that the Scientific 4 l c -r,q. 0 - - -- - -~G-" ' was memo mot too Jaeg ago .blab saaieat.4Uat *am people In Rtsaii felt this was isan t and if it did happen it would be tied zip with 17 W. Ears was also the feet that the throe atallite peQi*eeael did rat woo to the oonfrs .oa. All the Rasriens asked for this ovsfaroeu. b*y scheduled the group naming beau on the groaesi that when they got here they would be able to make this wadi-uhaklag raaocmaawzt, that the satellite was now a fact. imam this did eat name to plea, they a emnght with little or no material and they Just would act at tbs,peopla vbo evuld answer questimt'car to veshinjtce. The first- day pr the meeting wham they cancelled the paper which should have be.e gi' as the first papers they talked later in that session. 2bare was a talk by sore of them on tracking, mod the situation after we asked saw qu.stims was really embarrassing because the mawRrs they gave were so inadequate that people in the ro" laughed. At the ties the answer was gitao - the first answer aside was something to the effect that the Soviets would announce the la:mohing of the satalite in plenty of ties for us to asks modifications SD-Ax radio tracking system if he wanted to track it, but then Blagoaravor pulled the man book (presumably the interpreter) and talked to his a bit and be changed his ensvar to go ..thing like this: ikon the satellite was imobed the Svviste would aanowom it mad it would sip in orbit long enough for the rest of the world to sake changes in their radio apparatus. 10. In the working sesaian 3 Oat 57, i,ssatkin at aim* eneept for the interpret r'nbo weak with his and use bombarded with may gtaestlonss many of vhieh ha had to aanvwz with, 'that is out of ev' field', or. do not know", 'I an really a rocket san'. Before the afternoon vas over be vas quite upset about,this, quite red in the face sad disturbed, but he re aired pleoasmt and smsged to exile tbougb obviously upset at the kind of qua et on b.d-ng,.+kwri and at his inability to aasvar. Re could appear stupid to At ayapathwtic pm-son as he was quite ineousisteut. Obwjou*J,y be vas instructed not to answer opsoifia goe.tiams about the