4 - The Black Vault

GO1057760
THE SOVIET SPACE RESEARCH PROGRAM
Al
MONOGRAPH XI
TRONOMICAL ASPECTS
The soviets are in a position to give strong
sstronomical support to their space program,
and they are taking steps to insure that their
work in astronomy will meet future space requirements;
they are also able to exploit the
space program for the advancement of astronomy
and related sciences, particularly physics
and geophysics, and thereby derive many
practical benefits.
In the Soviet Union, the htronomical
Council of the Academy of Sci$nceS, USSR,
plans, organizes, and supervises the astronomical
research of a large and expanding
network of observatoriss and institutes. Organizationally
subordinate to the Astronomical
Council is the Interagency Commission
for Interplanetary Communications, composed
of high-reg Soviet scienttfic, technological,
and military leaders. This commission
is oaScially charged with the solution of
problems of the national space research program,
the first one of which was the launching
of artiflcial earth satellites. Sputniks I,
XI, and 111 and other space research rockets
are ample evidence that the Commission is
- carrying out its assigned task in a competent
manner..
Soviet astronomy is being expanded rapidly.
The training program has produced relatively
large numbers oi well qualified astronomers;
but observatories are somewhat under-
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
equipped because of 8 lag in the construction
of large and modern instruments. Steps are
underway to overcome this situation, including
plans for new equipment which, if successfully
carried out, may result in facilities surpassing
those of leading Western nations.
The Soviets have already made 8igniflcaiit advances
in the development and production of
image infrared and otber types of photoelectric
image converter tubes for astronomical
use, as well as dUTraction gratings,spectrographs,
and coronographs. Soviet application
of television techniques to optical astronomical
observations appears to be another
promising development, although not an
original one.
The Soviets are very competent in practically
all of the subfields of astronomy having
direct significance to present and near-future
space programs, including celestlal mechanics,
meteor and meteorite research, studies of the
moon and planets, radio astronomy, solar
physics, and solar-terrestrial relations. Soviet
dstronomep have achieved outstanding accomplishments
in several other su&fiel&
comet &h,
- 1
cosmogony, positional astronomy,
stellar photometry, time research, and
variable star- efudies--most of which are of
potential signiflcance to long-range space
plans. The Soviets appear to be weakest in
the area of stellar physics, a subfield of little
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