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Brad,

> The Lunahod (spelling?) was the SU precursor to all of these remotely
> piloted "robots".

Lunokhod. (=Moonwalker).

> At the time, the Soviet program did not get much publicity.  How was it
> there?

Of course, in the Soviet Union,
the Soviet program had larger publicity than the
US one:-)

It was much stressed that we were the first in this and in that...
(First satellite, first man to orbit, first woman, first group flight,
first exit to space...)
Until the success of the Apollo program. Then they started to
co-operate... I remember those joint flights which were also very much
advertised.


Alex.

> I've seen a program on TV that explained the SU program and I was very
> impressed.  Imagine landing a 6 wheeled vehicle on the moon and driving it
> around.  What nerves of steel those remote drivers had.
>
> Brad
> On Sep 3, 2012 4:02 PM,  wrote:
>
>>
>> Robert,
>> I just add few comments:
>>
>> > I was a young lad, 12 years of age when Armstrong set foot on the
>> moon. I
>>
>> I was 15. I do not remember the first Sputnik (I was 3 then) but
>> remember
>> very well the first space flight of Gagarin and our reaction to it:-)
>> And of course, the US Moon flights.
>>
>> Much later I realized that no one is going to spend large resources
>> "just for exploration". For spending large resources, there should be
>> strong interest. Economical or political.
>> Intensive space programs in 1950-s to 1970-s are explained by the cold
>> war,
>> the competition between the US and SU, and the relevant technology
>> development
>> was just a byproduct of development of military systems.
>> Since the SU lost this competition, there was no reason to go further.
>>
>> After all, America was discovered not as a result of scientific inquiry,
>> but as a result of greed and craving for gold, goods, territories and
>> slaves.
>>
>> During the Dark Ages, the Vikings discovered Grenland and America,
>> but nothing came out of it. Because there was no powerful economic
>> interest.
>>
>> Same happened to the space travel in our days.
>>
>> > but the last 40 years of  "space exploration" has been, in my opinion,
>> a
>> > huge disappointment; at least with respect to my youthful expectations
>> > circa
>> > 1969.
>>
>> A "disapointment" only from the point of view of the " our youthful
>> expectations".
>> In general, space exploration was a great success. It just did not
>> follow
>> the way we imagined in the 60-s.
>>
>> > Yet we have seemingly gone nowhere;
>> > notwithstanding the amazing feat of putting that robot on Mars this
>> past
>> > summer.
>>
>> Come on! This was not the first robot on Mars! US sent a lot of robots
>> everywhere, and we really learned about the planets almost everything we
>> could  possibly learn with human flights, but at a fraction of coast.
>> And several of our spacecraft are currently traveling outside of the
>> solar system.
>> The first robots on Mars were Vikings 1 and 2 in 1975. And I remember
>> very
>> well the excitement they created, and the pictures they sent, and the
>> sophisticated program of search of life they performed.
>>
>> Not as exciting as human travel, perhaps, but for the science it is a
>> huge
>> success.
>>
>> Alex.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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>
>
> : http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=120552
>
>
>

   

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