White Confirms Death Of Soviet Sputnik II

Sputnik II in all probability has died. John White, director of Public Information at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Institute, said last night.

White said he was confident that the satellite fell shortly after 9:56 a.m. (EST), when it was sighted at the University of Stanford. The fall of the Russian satellite was close to the time predicted by the Smithsonian staff. White explained, because of cloudy winter weather and because Sputnik fell over the sea, no exact time or place of its death can be set.

The other three satellites still in the skies will rotate for at least three more years. "We shall not celebrate another satellite death for some time," White observed.