Science: Red Stars over the Cosmos

Science

A record-setting mission underscores the Soviet space drive

Question: Why did the Soviet-trained Cuban Cosmonaut Arnaldo Mendez return from his recent trip into space with red hands?

Answer: The Soviets aboard the ship were so worried about being hijacked to Cuba that they slapped his hands every time he reached for the controls.

That little joke is currently making the rounds at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. But the troubling fact is that U.S. officials have little to smile about when they look at the burgeoning Soviet space program. The faltering U.S. effort has...

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