Commentary on Prognoz-9 satellite

On 1 July 1983, the Prognoz-9 artificial earth satellite was launched. For the first time, the main task of space research is to study the structure of the universe as a whole and the main features of its evolution. Contemporary concepts of the structure of the universe are linked to facts derived from astronomical observations which have received a thorough theoretical grounding. Another area of research is concerned with the elucidation of the chemical composition of matter in the universe. The relative abundance of the various elements is under study, not only in terrestrial laboratories and on various bodies of the solar system, but also at vast distances in space as far as the most distant quasars. With the help of the radiation map of the heavens in the millimeter range it will be possible to arrive at solutions of other important astronomical questions as well. These include determining the distribution, in our galaxy, of regions of hot plasma, of electrons with superhigh energies and of interstellar dust.