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/specialCollection/MissileGap/1961/1961-04-25.pdf

Central Intelligence Agency · 101 pages · text from the file's own layer

This is National Intelligence Estimate 11-5-61, Soviet Technical Capabilities in Guided Missiles and Space Vehicles. It was submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by the United States Intelligence Board on 25 April 1961. The estimate assesses Soviet surface-to-air, antimissile, air-to-air, air-to-surface, ballistic, ICBM, naval and space programs. It concludes that the first Soviet ICBM unit was probably operational around 1 January 1960. It also says there is no evidence the Soviets are developing offensive space weapons. It contains no UFO material.

  • p. 79 …The first attempt to launch a Venus probe succeeded in orbiting the earth satellite, Sputnik VII…
  • p. 81 …Unmanned Earth Satellites. Earth satellite vehicles offer significant advances over conventional techniques for acquiring information on…
  • p. 83 …Unmanned Earth Orbiting Flight: 15,000-20,000 pounds, low orbit Military satellites Communications Weather surveillance…
SPUTNIK I
(1967 ALPHA-2)
SPUTNIK
(1957 BETA)
SPUTNIK HI
(1958 DELTA-2)
Contents Internal tempera- Dog: cosmic ul- Large variety of
ture, pressure
I nstruments,
transmitters,
chemical bat-
teries.
traviolet, X-ray,
to
pressure instru-
ments, trans-
mitters, chemi-
cal batteries.
research instru-
ments, trans-
mitters, chemi-
cal and solar
batteries.
Radio Frequencies
used, MCS.
20 20 20
40 40 66
CO 70
70
Date of last. Signal In-
tercept.
25 Oct. 1057 10 Nov. 1957 G Apr. IWO
Date of Satellite De-
mise.
4 June 1058 1-1 Apr. 1958 G Apr. 1900
, SPUTNIK V
(1060 LAMBDA)
SPUTNIK VI
(1960 RHO)
Two dogs, other
unidentified an-
imnk, iusects, and
plants. Also in-
str urn e tatti o it
for in vestigntion
of on tin- space
physics.
I!).CYJ5.
66.
71.
76.
83.
183.
S-Band.
2 December 1960.
2 December 1930.
SPUTNIK IV
(1960 EPSILON)
Based on Soviet state-
ments, this vehicle con-
tained systsfms and in-
strumentation required
to check the operation
of a life support sys-
tem for man, an ;Itti-
tudc stabilization and
control system, and at
deorbiting retro-rocket
system. It, was im-
plied that vehicle did
not include apparatus
for protection from re-
entry heating or for
braking to safe re-
covery speeds.
19.000 (heard until
July 1060).
06
71
70
182
S-band
19 July 1960 on 19.995
MCS.
Indefinite
A life support sys-
tem for man, an
attitude stabiliza-
tion and control
system, a deorbit-
ing retro-rocket
!” stem. a In
and
braking system for
re-entry and re-
covery. a large
variety of animal
and plant life to
determine the ef-
fect of launching
and recovery and
the effect of the
sr .ace environment
on !iving matter.
It
required to deter-
mine these effects
and transmit, data
tc earth or store
for recovery.
19.1)95
60
71
76
83
183
S-Band.
.20 'mg. 1960
Recovered 20 Aug-
ust 1960.
Table 2 (Continued)

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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 101 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.