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Another explanation for the difference between the temperature as indicated by microwave measurements and that given by Venera 4 is the assumption that the Soviet capsule landed on a mountain or plateau rather than on the actual surface of the planet. The temperature on Venus was assumed to drop with increasing altitude at the rate of about 16° K/mi (10° K/ km). Therefore, a 100° K temperature variation would mean that the landing site of Venera 4 was about 6 mi (10 km) above the mean surface level of Venus. It was also possible that the probe had not reached any part of the surface when the final data were transmitted. Independent calculations of the descent profile, however, tend to support the conclusion that the spacecraft was on the surface at the cessation of signals.

The actual average temperature of the earth, however, is 60.1° F (15.6° C). The reason for this increase is connected with the presence of an atmosphere, which traps radiation from the earth's surface and returns it to the ground, where it adds to the incident solar energy.

The tendencies outlined above indicate the need for serious thought on the meaning of republicanism for the contemporary period. A republican form of government can in reality serve as the instrument for—open or concealed—dictatorship. Not the mere forms and institutions but their actual social content, the mentality and the actual situation of the people determine a free state.