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COUNTRY USSR REPORT NO. OO-B-321/07709-72.
SUBJECT Speculative Paper by K Kardashev and DATE DISTR. 1© Apr 72
A Sakharov on C harged Mass in Space 
at Conference on Origins of Life, NO. pag es 2
A rmenia, 6-8 September 1971/Uow
Scientific Level of Other Soviet REFERENCES D C S C ase 57,026
Papers
DATE OF INFO. 6-8 September 1971
PLACE & DATE ACQ. BY SOURCE Yerevan/6-8 September 1971 
______________________________TWSJ^JJNEyAUJATEDJNR^^_______________________________
SOURCE US citizen Thia report consists
of edited abstracts from a letter received from a reliable colleague 
who attended the Yerevan Conference. ■
1. A t the Conference on the Origins of Life in Yerevan, A rmenia, SSR, 
6-8 September 1971, H S Kardashev, Institute for Space Research, Moscow, 
road an interesting but highly speculative paper he had prepared on 
general relativity and the possibility of a body collapsing into a 
black hole in space. His co-author was the internationally famous 
theoretical physicist, A ndrei D Sakharov. Kardashev is very much like 
his superior and former teacher at the Institute, I S Shklovskiy, in 
his approach to scientific problems. He is not afraid to speculate in 
his effort to find a solution.
2. The Kardashev-Sakharov paper concerned the authors' study of what happens 
when a charged mass or body collapses in space. Kardashev stated that, 
if it were not charged, the mass would Just collapse past the point of 
gravitational singularity and be gone forever. In other words, the mass 
would close in on itself and have no more contact with the outside 
world. The Soviets speculated on what would happen if the moss were 
charged. They stated that then the mass would be able to bounce. It 
would collapse but bounce back out. However, the mass will come back 
into a different part of space time.
3. A fter his presentation, Kardashev told a US attendee that Sakharov was 
mostly interested in this charged mass phenomenon study because it in­
dicates that the structure of space may be much more complicated than 
is presently thought. Kardashev was interested in the study from the 
viewpoint of what implications it has for astrophysics, provided the 
basic physics of the phenomenon is correct. The US attendee felt the 
authors' speculation was a little fantastic and they had taken off in 
a rather wild way. However, he believed their paper was grounded in 
good and sound physics.
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b. The US attendee considers Kardashev to be very competent technically 
and further to be very self-possessed. He recalled an incident in the 
spring of 1971 when Kardashev, L I Matveyenko and he visited A cademician 
Lev A rtsimovich, secretary of the A cademy’s D epartment of General 
Physics and A stronony* Matveyenko, Institute for Cosmic Research, is 
a C ommunist Party member and very expert in political matters. He was 
almost cringing in A rtsimovich’s presence whereas Kardashev was cool 
and confident in his business-like discussions with the senior A cademi­
cian.
5. In general, the scientific level of most of the Soviet papers nt this 
Conference was not very high. One little known Soviet [source could not 
recall his name) gave a very naive paper on the detectability of planets. 
A nother Soviet, who was a member of a committee the USSR has established 
to investigate unusual phenomena, in other words, flying saucers, gave 
a serious talk which was actually very humorous. Kis approach was, 
’’Well, of course, we know there isn’t anything to this alleged phenome­
non (flying saucers), but on the other hand-----.’* D uring this talk 
Shklovskiy and other Soviets joked and laughed and obviously did not 
take the speaker’s remarks seriously. Shklovskiy remarked later tc a 
US attendee that the “flying saucer committee" consists of many poli­
ticians, theorists, historians and similar type people. It has little 
if any scientific talent.
6. Shklovskiy gave a general, entertaining talk on ^ome interesting but 
unimportant subject. Vitaliy L Ginzburg, one of the leading astronomers 
in the USSR, also gave a talk on the basis of physic.: 1 theory, that is, 
the identification and comparison of fundamental assumptions in physics. 
Ginzburg has a first rate mind and is sounder in his physics knowledge 
than Shklovskiy. Ginzburg thinks realistically, vhleh wa- shown in hi; 
answer co a US attendee’s question about the Conference, “he Soviet; 
was asked whether the Conference was worthwhile in that it -as mostly 
devoted to theoretical subjects, very remote from tangible goals. 
Ginzburg said, 'Well, if it helps to build up support for the Soviet 
researchers to get new astronomical equipment, then certainly the Con­
ference makes sense.’’
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