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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Nov. 30, 1961
A Kansan Profile:
Storer Critical of Space Race
Ey Tom Winston
N. W. Storer, professor of astronomy since 1935, feels that U.S. space program efforts are being spent in the wrong way.
Twelve years ago Prof. Storer told one of his classes:
"I can't believe that we are going to lose the moon within the next 100 years," he said.
He admitted at the time that it was scientifically possible, but he felt the scientific value of a moon voyage wasn't worth the billions of dollars it would cost. He didn't feel Congress would think so either.
TODAY, WHEN TRAFFIC to the moon looks decidedly probable, Prof. Storer still sticks to his guns.
"I can't believe there is scientific value in a trip to the moon anywhere nearly commensurate with the amount of money it would cost," he said. "While I'll admit something could come of it, I would not be willing to pay $60 times the number of my dependents for a photograph of the other side of the moon."
It would take at least $10 billion to get equipment to the other side of the moon, and probably more than that, he said. That means at least $60 for every man, woman and child (based on 160 million people). More progress in astronomy would result if we should spend 1/100 of that money ($100 million) on observatories," he said.
PROF. STORER isn't alone in his view. Some weeks ago Gen Eisenhower, speaking at the Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio, observed:
"I for one do not fully understand why, in the midst of necessary and costly activities, our nation should be required, urgently to develop a capacity to put men on the moon and challenge our principal opponent to a race in doing so."
"Nowadays," Prof. Storer said, "the many investigations in science need enormous sums of money. Private organizations simply can't pay for them. It has been said that science is for the amusement of scientists." Dr. Storer said
That is primarily so, he added, since these interested in science are the ones who go into it. But science isn't the same today as it once was, he said. Since private organizations can no longer finance today's huge investigations in science the matter is left up to the government, and it ultimately comes back to the taxpayer.
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But there is good in testing rockets, Prof. Storer said. There is an observatory in New Mexico, that is cooperating with a number of universities and the National Science Foundation in investigating the ultimate possibility of getting a telescope into a rocket.
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STELLAR OPSERVATION from the earth's surface is hampered by the atmosphere, he said. There are clouds, but even when the sky is clear there is a turbulence in the atmosphere that gives about the same effect as a hot fire, spoiling the best focus. We aren't able to use even as much power as our telescopes will allow, said Prof. Storer, because we magnify the turbulence at the same time we magnify the object.
Other facts than those about the moon could be more scientifically useful, Prof. Storer said. If we could get a photo of the canals on Mars we could clear up some of the mysteries about them. If we could get pictures of the sun "we could tell a good number of things about the spectrum and ultraviolet light," he said.
December 3rd 8 p.m.
By way of illustration, Prof.
Storer pointed to a window.
"WE CONSIDER IT transparent; but ultraviolet light won't go through it, because the window acts like a wall. The wave lengths of ultraviolet are much shorter than those of normal light. It takes a special kind of glass for ultraviolet light to pass through," he said.
Prof. Storer believes that the pictures the Soviet Union claims to have taken two years ago of the other side of the moon are authentic. "I don't believe (the Russian scientists) would perpetrate a haox like that, because sooner or later it would kick back on them," he said.
HE SAID HE DOESNT know about conditions in the Soviet Union. Perhaps the government would make them publish such statements for propaganda purposes. But most astronomers believe that the photographs are authentic.
Several days ago a Watson librarian called Prof. Storer and asked him if he wanted to look at a new book. It was a translated Russian publication, an atlas of the other side of the moon.
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