SPACE: The Great Capsule Hunt

It was late in the evening when Major General Tufte Johnsen, commander of the Norwegian air force's northern command, picked up the telephone. Calling him from California was an old friend, U.S. Air Force Lieut. Colonel Charles A. Mathison. The colonel's bizarre message: Be on the lookout for a recoverable capsule likely to float down from outer space at about 0230 or 0300, Spitzbergen time. Thus last week began one of the most incredible treasure hunts in the short, incredible history of space.

Only the day before the phone call, the U.S. had...

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