European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 7, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 stars and stripes Friday february 1986 commission opens hearings on shuttle Nasa studying photos to pinpoint flame Washington a Nasa Toldan investigative commission thursday it is studying enhanced photographs to pinpoint a spurt of fire that burst from the space shuttle s right Booster rocket about m seconds before last week s explosion destroyed challenger and killed its Crew. Many experts believe the errant flame triggered the explosion. The presidential commission investigating last week s space shuttle disaster opened deliberations thursday by questioning National aeronautics and space administration officials about the Impact of freezing temperatures on launch Day and the flight history of the ship s reusable boosters. Jesse Moore head of Nasa s shuttle program told the panel that none of the Booster components had been used More than two or three times. They Are designed to be used As Many As 20 times he said. As the commission met in Washington Nasa reported at Cape canaveral fla., that sonar soundings thursday indicated the second of challenger s two Booster rockets had been located a relatively Short distance from the launch pad. But the space Agency said there could be no confirmation until underwater photographs Are made. One of the boosters apparently lies 30 Miles offshore the other about is Miles. Nasa Public affairs officers said privately that sonar soundings indicated the left Booster had been located. But acting under instructions that any statement must be cleared with Agency investigators the spokesmen could not confirm that officially. In any Case it will be Days if not weeks after positive identification before either of the heavy rocket casings can be raised by Navy Salvage Crews. Some engineers said privately they fear the casings May be broken into pieces and scattered on the Ocean floor. Eleven members of the 12-Pcrson panel took part in the opening questioning. No present was famed test Pilot Chuck Yeager. Moore told the panel the photographs show the first sign of the flames on the right rocket Booster came at 59.8 seconds into the 73-Scccmd flight. In the next 12 seconds the plume appeared to grow and merge with the orbiter s huge fuel tank just milliseconds before the tragedy Moore testified. He said the plume moved quite a bit before the explosion and destruction of challenger s external fuel tank destroyed the shuttle eight Miles above the Atlantic Ocean. Judson a. Lovingood Deputy manager of the shuttle projects office at the Marshall space flight Center in Alabama said the mean temperature of the solid rocket fuel is supposed to be Between 40 and 90 degree fahrenheit. At the time of Bunch they thought it was a mean temperature of 55 degrees be said. Lovingood said the figure was arrived Abby a calculation of ambient temperatures because we Don t have any measurement that would give an exact Reading. He said there had been no concern about the engines in Advance of the flight and he did not think any of its components had been replaced from earlier missions. Arnold Aldrich manager of shuttle pro Grams at the Johnson space Center in Houston told the panel there is no practical abort Mode for the Crew during the first two minutes of flight while tile boost the ers arc  if there was anything unusual about launch circumstances aside from the freezing temperatures and the presence Oll Aunch pad a he said. I do not recall that there were any unusual things other than the situation with the Hatch an equip ment problem thought to be unrelated to the explosion. Scientists have speculated that the plume May have come from a break in the seals Between sections of the rocket Booster. Moore said the photographs would have to be enhanced before he could pinpoint the plume s  said Nasa has impounded All data from the challenger flight. Re forming a Devil s advocate team. To think up scenarios that May have occurred during the Mission he added. His comments were an indication that Nasa has formed no firm conclusions about the cause of the Accident. Moore was asked about the possible Impact of launch Day temperatures. He said there was concern about ice buildup on the launch Tower but not about the Impact of Low temperatures on the rocket boosters. A technical team was sent out before the launch and checked the Tower. Their assessment came Back that the sys tem is of Moore said. Asked specifically about the Impact of cold temperatures on the boosters Moore said the Issue was discussed by Nasa experts a Day before the launch. It was no presented to me As a matter of potential concern he told the commission. Asked whether the cargo Load that Day including a Large communications sat of to relocate 1,000 people 24 planes from English bases due to new budget by Dave Diehl . Bureau Raf Mildenhall England about 1,000 people and 24 air planes a two Safe bases in England Are scheduled to be moved next year As a result of the president s budget air Force officials said thursday. All 18 Rf-4cs from Raf Alconbury and six of i ifs at Raf Lakenheath Are to be moved to units in the United states and Europe said maj. Johnny Whitaker a Safe spokesman. He said the air Force had not made any decisions on exactly where the air planes will go. The moves Are scheduled for the Spring of 1987. The move at Alconbury will Cut 785 military and 38 civilian slots from the 10th tac recon Wing there 3rd air Force officials said. However the addition in 1988 of 750 people to work at the new ground launched cruise missile base Straf Molesworth Means the actual Force size will remain about the same. Alcon Bury will be the support base for the new missile site a few Miles away. The shifts Are part of a larger tactical Force restructuring Whitaker said. Moves Are scheduled elsewhere among Airlift strategic Pacific guard and air Force Reserve units throughout the world. Six of the Alconbury jets will stay in Europe while 12 will be moved to other air Force units Whitaker said. Wei Bruecken a Germany is the Only other european base with the photo reconnaissance air planes. The six of Lulfs leaving Lakenheath will go to units in the United states Whitaker said. The air Force says this will be part of Normal programming changes to replace aircraft that have been lost a those units. About 205 people will be Cut from the ranks at Lakenheath s 48th tac fighter Wing the air Force said. About 5,000 military and civilian workers Are stationed at the base which is comprised of Only f 111 is. Four fighter squadrons will remain at the base with about 70 air planes. In addition to the Rf-4cs, Alconbury also hosts the 95th recon so tr-1 recon Naissance air planes and f-5es used by the 527th aggressor so. About 4,000 airmen Are stationed at the Alconbury base. School cons Ruffion budget Cut by 3.9% Washington is the Reagan administration has announced Gramm Rudman cuts to school construction Bud gets totalling about $2.8 million. The cuts amount to 3.9 percent of a s72 million school Consoni Cioa budget. Affected projects Are listed in the Feder Al Register. Dodds officials in the Atlan tic and Mediterranean regions said they had not been notified of the cuts thursday. Dodds officials in the Germany Region said they bad been notified unofficially. Until we see it in writing it s still a Goas far As we re concerned said Bill Taka Saki chief of logistics for Dodds Ger Many. The projects include Belgium Florenne $290,000 Cut from a $7.4 million elementary and High school project. Germany Babenhausen $30,000 Cut from a $760,000 elementary school addition. Bamberg $133,000 Cut from a $3.3 million elementary school addition and $94,000 Cut from a $2.4 million Middle and High school addition. Butzbach $117,000 Cut from a $3 Mil lion elementary school addition. Hanau $262,000 Cut from a $6.7 Mil lion Middle school. Heidelberg $67,000 Cut from a $1.7 million addition to elementary school no. Heilbronn $90,000 Cut from a $2.3 million elementary and Junior High school addition. Pir Masens $64,000 Cut from $1.6 Mil lion elementary and Junior High school additions. Schweinfurt $154,000 Cut from a $3.9million Junior High school. Sembach a $85,000 Cut from a $2.1million elementary school addition. Sicily Simonella $210,000 Cut from a $5.3 million elementary and High school Addi Uon. The Netherlands Oesterberg a $175,000 Cut from a$4.4 million elementary school England Bicester $179,000 Cut from a $45 Milhon elementary school. Upwood $127,000 Cut from a $3 2million elementary school addition. Woodbudge $41,000 Cut from a $1 million elementary school addition elite was especially heavy Moore told the questioner we do not think so  William a Rogers the former Secretary of state who Heads the panel appeared to rebuke Moore at one Point when Moore referred to something As gossip. Rogers said the matter he referred to involving the effect of the cold on the fuel inside the rocket boosters came from a specialist working for a Nasa contractor. Just before the commission broke for lunch Rogers urged the Nasa witnesses to make their testimony relate More to the challenger tragedy than to the Overall shuttle program and its history. In opening testimony Nasa s acting administrator William Graham pledged Complete and total cooperation to the commission and said his Agency looks for Ward to the resumption of space  the Jan. 28 explosion killed six Astro nauts and schoolteacher Christa Mcauliffe in the worst space Accident Ever. Shuttle flights have been grounded Dar ing the investigation which May hut in to four months. Meanwhile a Salvage vessel brought the pointed tip of challenger s huge fuel tank to port  showed sailors on Ike pre server a world War ii Navy Salvage slip out of Little Creek a Tiffin the tip of the fuel tank s Cone from one deck to a Aoth or. On liftoff the 154-foot tank contain and More than a half million Gallons of Sapir cold liquid Hydrogen and liquid oxygen. When it exploded the fuel turned into a fireball of White and Orange and tons of shuttle debris fell into the Ocean. F. News update anti terrorist action Bonn a German authorities Are Pfenning tougher anti terrorist Mea sures Fdl Cownig a 32 percent increase a the number of attacks in 1985. Carl Dieter Spranger state Secre tary in the Interior ministry said Federal and state authorities would intensify their anti terrorist Mea sures but be gave no further details. Spranger speaking at a press con Ference released the findings of the Interior ministry s annual Domestic Security report. He said terrorist bomb and arson attacks in Germany hut year jumped 32 percent Over 1984 figures and he blamed the increase largely on the leftist red army faction. Correction Iya picture caption on Page 3 in Tea Raj Day s paper incorrectly identified two Auy men. The Man in the dark Robed to Stan i senior airman Vito Miednik. The Man in the White coat is senior airman Glenn Trace. Asthma attack takes we " of Soldier s daughter -1 Fuerth Germany s4s the 24-, year old daughter of a 1st army div Soldier died from an asthmatic seizure wednesday a. After a Long Iii Ness a division sookfiman., said thursday. Ladonna e. Jackson daughter of ohm and master sgt. Charles h. Hutchison of he det 2nd support in was pronounced dead at the family Home after a German emergency medical team could not re vow her said maj. John head