Soviets, Americans Trade Space Travel Ideas

When former U.S. astronaut Owen Garriott was given the rare opportunity to converse with an orbiting Soviet cosmonaut during a recent visit to the Soviet Union’s space center, he knew just what to ask Yuri Romanenko, who had just set a record for space endurance.

Garriott, who holds the U.S. space flight endurance record with nearly two months aboard Skylab more than a decade ago, chose a topic both of them know something about.

He asked Romanenko, who now has spent more than 242 days in space, if he believes he could fly to Mars--a round trip that could take as long as three years--without artificial gravity.

On such a prolonged space journey, artificial gravity is necessary in order to prevent the debilitating physical effects of lengthy weightlessness. But artificial gravity also would require some sort of huge rotating spacecraft, which could delay a manned Mars trip for decades.

“Yes, let’s go to Mars,” responded Romanenko, who may stay aboard the Soviet space station Mir until the end of this year.

Romanenko’s response, related by Charles Walker, who was present during the brief exchange, was hardly surprising.

Walker, an aeronautical engineer at McDonnell Douglas Corp. who has made three flights aboard the Space Shuttle and was America’s first civilian astronaut, recalled the exchange last week during an international space conference hosted here by the Soviet Union.

And when 41 U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts met together, they were asked the same question.

Took a Vote

Louis Friedman, executive director of the Pasadena-based Planetary Society, asked them to vote on whether they believed they could fly to Mars with zero gravity. All but three raised their hands.

Moments later, Garriott--one of the space veterans on the stage--asked the opinion of the audience, which consisted mostly of space scientists and engineers who design spacecraft and study the effect of space flight on humans. About two-thirds indicated that some form of artificial gravity would have to be provided.

The astronauts and cosmonauts seemed eager to go, but the people who will have to get them there and back safely are far more cautious, suggesting that a manned expedition to Mars is probably at least a couple of decades away.

That simple exchange of opinions was unique in several ways. Never had so many cosmonauts and astronauts assembled together.

And the audience included some of the top space scientists in the world, representing more than 30 nations. They were called together for a free exchange of ideas at Moscow’s training center for cosmonauts, a site that has been one of the Soviet Union’s most secretive facilities.

Many of the 890 people who took part in the three-day conference had expected some sort of monumental announcement by the Soviets. But there were no major announcements.

Roald Sagdeev, director of Moscow’s Space Research Institute, insisted that the conference had a single goal--to promote international cooperation in space exploration.

In speech after speech, scientists insisted that the conquest of space is too big an undertaking for nations to attempt separately. And many believe international cooperation is the best way to reduce hostilities between the superpowers.

Yet the hard facts are that at the present time cooperation between the Soviet Union and the United States is severely hampered by law and attitudes.

“We’ve never had a Soviet instrument fly aboard a U.S. spacecraft,” said Fred Scarf of TRW Corp. He is one of only a few American scientists here who has participated in Soviet space projects.

Federal law prohibits the launching of U.S. satellites aboard Soviet rockets, although the Soviets have begun a Western-style marketing program to win a significant part of the satellite-launching business.

One high-level official from an international organization, who asked not to be named, said a major American aerospace firm is fiercely battling the U.S. State Department in hopes of reversing that policy.

What Is ‘Cooperation’?

U.S. officials have said they oppose putting American payloads aboard Soviet spacecraft because of fears that the Soviets will steal the technology, a concern that many here branded as absurd.

Although Soviet officials here hammered at the theme of international cooperation, just what that means was never fully spelled out.

American scientists tend to talk of long-term commitments, particularly a joint mission to Mars. But the Soviets pointed to near-term objectives, such as a satellite network to broaden communications in Third World countries.