Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Roald Sagdeev, former director of the Soviet Space Institute. He recalls his reaction to the news 40 years ago to a successful US moon landing.
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JESSICA GOLLOHER: In 1969, Roald Sagdeev was working as a nuclear physicist in the Soviet Union.  He went on to become the Director of the Soviet Space Institute.  Roald Sagdeev, do you remember what your reaction was to the news that America had successfully put a man on the moon?

ROALD SAGDEEV: Oh, yes absolutely.  Yes, I was well aware of existing lunar competition and it was obvious that Apollo made sure that Russians lost the space leader crown.

GOLLOHER: And so was that a source of either anger or resentment, or upset for you?

SAGDEEV: I think, as many other Soviets, we had mixed feelings.  There was some sadness to know that we were not anymore space leaders.  But I think at the same time I think overwhelming feeling that Armstrong and all the steps down on the moon surface was on behalf of all of us too.  On behalf of all the humankind.

GOLLOHER: It is hard to believe the Soviet government saw this as a giant leap for mankind.

SAGDEEV: You know now, I am talking about people, not about the government.  Of course the government had to swallow all these feelings of defeat.  But, at least they did not prevent the people in the country to see what the Americans did resemble.

GOLLOHER: And, after that happened, did that change the Russian space program at all?

SAGDEEV: What actually happened, the government finally admitted their defeat and the decision was to not to try to send anyone to the moon.  Not to build a base on the moon, but to concentrate on something where at the Americans are not doing much.  The focus of the campaign to man in the orbit for longer and for longer periods.  Little Soviet orbital stations, later called Salyut.  And finally cumulated in orbital station Mir,  which survived Soviet Union and works for a number of years carrying luck of Russian configuration.

GOLLOHER: The Mir space station and giving way to eventually what we have now a national space station.

SAGDEEV: Yes, and it actually gave a chance to Russians to become very valuable players in international space station now.

GOLLOHER: That is very interesting.  So you are saying that many years later because the United States put a man on the moon first, Russia took a different direction which we can even see today.

SAGDEEV: I would paraphrase it; in following the Americans defeating Soviets.  So what kind of trophies are they good for this kind of victory?  Now they have as a trophy a chance to use Soviet rocket and lead a crew to an international space station which would be very crucial for NASA in a couple of years from now when shuttle trip will be retired.

GOLLOHER: Using the Soviet space rocket?

SAGDEEV: Yes absolutely.

GOLLOHER: Are you saying the Soviets won after all?

SAGDEEV: No.  I am saying Soviets found a more ecological niche in the space activity and it finally serves Russia now.  So Russia is a very valuable member of the international space exploration.

GOLLOHER: Let me ask you this.  You have come a long way since your days in the Soviet Union and you held a very high position there but now you are working for NASA.  Can you tell us exactly what you are doing there?

SAGDEEV: About 8 months ago NASA launched a spacecraft which is orbiting the moon at a very low altitude and this unmanned spacecraft called “Lunar reconnaissance orbiting” sending a lot of interesting sighting data, and I am here to look for the traces of water in permanent shadow of craters in the polar areas of the moon.

GOLLOHER: Since you were the former Director of the Space Institute, did you think you would ever be working with NASA?

SAGDEEV: You know if someone 25 years ago that I would find myself in the future in a completely different place.  Not in Russia.  My reaction would have been in America never, on Mars maybe.

GOLLOHER: On Mars maybe.  Well you may have a chance of course because we are hearing now that Russia may want to put a man on Mars.  Do you think that could happen?

SAGDEEV: I think that is absolute science fiction.  There are some enthusiasts who are talking about Mars, but nobody would take them seriously.

GOLLOHER: That is Roald Sagdeev who is a Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland.  He once was the Director of the Soviet Space Institute.  He is right now at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California looking at photos for evidence that there is frozen ice in craters on the moon. For The World, I’m Jessica Golloher

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