Nov 15 1970
From The Space Library
Comment of Dr. Paul W. Gast, Chief of MSC Lunar and Earth Sciences Div., on learning of chemical composition of lunar samples brought from Sea of Fertility by Soviet Luna XVI spacecraft was quoted by New York Times. Dr. Gast had said Soviet analysis of material, reported at Oct. 28 Moscow news conference, indicated same relative abundances of some 11 major elements as found by U.S. scientists in Apollo 12 lunar samples from Ocean of Storms. Both differed significantly from relative abundances found in Sea of Tranquility rocks and soil returned by Apollo 11. Most striking difference in Sea of Fertility and Ocean of Storms material was titanium content. Sea of Tranquility material contained 10% titanium dioxide; all soil and rocks from Ocean of Storms and Sea of Fertility contained under 5%. Dr. Gast said Sea of Fertility sample provided 50% additional data to that known previously on chemical composition of lunar surface. It was important and remarkable that analyses of Ocean of Storms and Sea of Tranquility data were so similar though sites were more than 1600 km (1000 mi) apart. (Schwartz, NYT, 11/15/70)
Document circulated in Moscow announced formation of Committee for Human Rights by Soviet scientists Andrey D. Sakharov, V..N. Chalidze, and A. N. Tverdokhlebov. Purposes were "to help the organs of state power create and apply guarantees of human rights"; assist persons who "want to conduct constructive research into the theoretical aspects of the problem of human rights and the study of the specifics of the problem in a socialist society"; and provide legal instruction, "specifically propaganda" for documents of international and Soviet law on problem of human rights. Committee would offer "constructive criticism of. . . system of legal guarantees for the freedom of the personality in Soviet law." (Astrachan, W Post 11/16/70, A1')
Nation's "real brain drain" was described in New York Times editorial: "Large numbers of scientists, engineers and educators are being shaken out of their jobs in an upheaval that must be viewed as something far more serious than a temporary dislocation in employment, born of the business slowdown. . . .The deeply troubling fundamental question is whether a nation can allow itself to be the pawn rather than the master of its destiny. . . The inevitable conclusion, if the downgrading and disuse of highly educated manpower gathers force, will be that advanced skills are relevant only to competition for hegemony in arms or space. Such a concept is absurd when there is such apparent need for the application of scientific, technological and philosophical brain power in the pursuit of peace and dignified living conditions." (NYT, 11/15/70, 4:10)
November 15-17: ARC meeting on planet habitability and cell synthesis was attended by 20 scientists, including Dr. James F. Danielli, whose team at State Univ. of New York at Buffalo had reported first artificial synthesis of living cell [see Nov. 12]. In statement to press NASA said agency was considering "planetary engineering," creation of new life forms to be placed on Mars and other planets. (UPI, LA Times, 11/15/70; ARC PIO)
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