OPINION

January 18, 1958

POLARIS MISSILE: Washington, 17 – The successful launch of the Polaris missile was announced today within the framework of medium-range missile testing. The test was held with clear skies this morning one hour after sunrise at the Cape Canaveral base in Florida. The Pentagon announced that Polaris was built by the US Navy and is destined for use on surface vessels as well as on submerged submarines. It is clearly superior to the Thor and Zeus missiles. The Polaris launch, achieved with the help of solid fuels, is of great interest to experts in Washington and it is expected that next year it will be possible for American manufacturers to produce them. The new missile is expected to play a decisive part in the country’s defense against intercontinental missiles. SPUTNIK: Rome, 17 – The Italian communist newspaper L’Unita reports from Moscow that the Soviet Union has postponed the launch of a third artificial satellite in order to give scientists sufficient time to study results from the orbits of the first two satellites. Russian scientists are now believed to have been mistaken with regard to the duration of the second Sputnik’s orbiting of the Earth, which is now expected to continue for a further six months.

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