other man vertically. {p. 105} The more you think about it, the
crazier it gets. But they've got to solve all those problems before we
can tackle space."

To make sure I had the details right, I checked on the Air Force
research. I found that the Randolph Field laboratory is working on all
these problems, and many more.

Although plans arc not far enough advanced to make it certain,
probably animals will be sent up in research rockets to determine the
effect of no gravity before any human beings make such flights. The
results could be televised back to the earth.

All through my check-up on space exploration plans, one thing struck
me: I met no resistance. There was no official reticence about the
program; on the contrary, nothing about it seemed secret.

Even though it was peacetime, this was a little curious, because of
the potential war value of an earth satellite vehicle. Even if the
Nazi scheme for destruction proved just a dream, an orbiting space
base could be used for other purposes. In its two-hour swing around
the earth, practically all of the globe could be observed-directly, by
powerful telescopes, or indirectly, by a combination of radar and
television. Long-range missiles could be guided to targets, after
being launched from some point on the earth. As the missiles climbed
high into the stratosphere, the satellite's radar could pick them up
and keep them on course by remote control.

There were other possibilities for both attack and defense.
Ordinarily, projects with wartime value are kept under wraps, or at