Mar 25 1974
From The Space Library
Data from U.S.S.R. space probes Mars 4, 6, and 7 [see 9-12 March] had indicated that several "tens percent" of the Martian atmosphere was made up of an inert gas, probably argon, Tass quoted Prof. Vasily I. Moroz as reporting in Izvestiya. The data would substantiate Soviet scientists' belief that several million or even several hundred thousand years ago Mars had an atmosphere with a density close to that of the earth. In addition, data from Mariner 9 (launched 30 May 1971) and Mars 5 had shown that the planet had had surface water and might "acquire it again, for such changes take place during the planet's geological history . . . with a definite periodicity." New data was increasing hope of finding the simplest biosphere. "In any case, in the not so distant geological past Mars apparently had . . . the conditions necessary for the emergence of life. The reappearance of such periods in the future is not ruled out."
The Western press later quoted U.S. scientists as saying that the presence of large amounts of argon would have "dramatic implications" and would tend to support the theory that the Martian climate had been going through a series of cycles during which ice ages alternated with warmer and wetter conditions. But Dr. Carl E. Sagan of Cornell Univ. said during a telephone interview that the 90% content of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere had been well established, so that "at most 10% of argon was barely possible." (FBIS-Sov, 26 March 74, Ul ; Shabad, NYT, 7 April 74, 34)
Dr. Edward U. Condon, a leading U.S. atomic scientist, died at the age of 72 in Boulder, Colo., of complications from heart disease. In 1940 Dr. Condon had become a member of the National Defense Research Council and, in 1941, a member of the Roosevelt Committee on Uranium Re-search. During the World War II he played an important role in the development of the atomic bomb. In 1945 Dr. Condon had been appointed Director of the National Bureau of Standards but resigned in 1951 because of House Un-American Activities Committee investigations as a "weak" security link. In 1952 he appeared before the Committee and denied charges under oath.
From 1945 to 1951 Dr. Condon had been a member of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics. In the 1950s he developed a missile nosecone-later used by U.S. astronauts-that could withstand the high temperatures of reentry into the earth's atmosphere. In 1954 he returned to teaching and, while on the Univ. of Colorado faculty, he under-took an Air Force study to investigate sightings of unidentified flying objects. (Weil, W Post, 27 March 74, C4; Slusser, W Star-News, 27 March 74, B5; Who's Who; House Un-Am Activities Com Special Subcom Rpt)
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