European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday february 17,1986 of not guarding its computers against data theft officials say Washington upi1 the air using electronic devices to intercept and de in 1984 and 1985. Force has failed to safeguard 77 percent of its computer systems allowing the possible breach of classified data on space boosters Star wars technology and major weapons systems. Pentagon auditors and other officials say. The Security vulnerability also extends to sensitive data on the my and midget Man missiles and by and f-16 aircraft they said. An air Force official responding to que Ries about the disclosure said he was 95 percent confident that no actual Compro Mises of classified information had of  air Force audit Agency which inspected eight bases sharply criticized offi cers at each facility for failure to inspect safeguards such As Lead boxes designed to limit electromagnetic signals emitted by the  was no Assurance that the Classi fied information was. Adequately Safe guarded and was not being compromised auditors wrote in a september report made available to United press  on the eight air bases failed to inspect safeguards on 165 of 214 computer systems auditors found. Computerized data can be stolen by usin t encode invisible electromagnetic emissions from the computer said Mike Levin of the National Security Agency. The air Force is required to shield these computer signals which can travel As far As 500 feet by modifying the equipment or enclosing the machines in a Box or room an air Force official said. An air Force spokesman who decline to be identified played Down the significance of the audit findings citing what he described As the very Small probability that an unauthorized person would be Al Lowed close enough to the computers to intercept signals. The enemy threat within the United states is relatively Small said the official a computer Security specialist and our physical Security measures restrict people within the 500-foot  however poor safeguards could conceivably allow a foreign intelligence operative employed on a base to get close enough to the computers to pick up the signals the spokesman acknowledged. The air Force systems come the serv ice s chief Arm for research development and acquisition of major weapons systems was one of four facilities found to have con ducted no computer safeguard inspections in 1984 and 1985. The command at Andrews fab near Washington keeps electronically stored data on the performance Speed thrust and Range of the my and mid Geiman missiles and other weapons and information on the by and f-16 aircraft said command spokesman capt. Jim Benson. The Western space missile Center at California s Vandenberg fab which Mon. Tors lest firings in the Pacific of the my missile and the Atlas Titan and scout space boosters failed to inspect at least half its computer systems auditors found. These space boosters have been used recently to support unmanned National aeronautics and space administration launches of communications and weather satellites As Well As secret Pentagon launches several air Force spokesmen said. Benson said classified information on those weapons if stolen could allow the enemy to develop countermeasures for new weapon systems and to pinpoint sources  auditors found officers had not aggressively pursued their responsibilities be cause they  diverted by other professional duties and were not completely knowledgeable about.  twice a Winner Evelyn Marie Adams 32, of treat i nj., whoops with Joy after pm Kew up her second $1 Munoa Phi Cheek in the new Jersey lottery. She wws3.96 million in the pick-6 lottery oct 24, and but week see was of Ito two persons to share a $2.98 Jackpot in the state drawing. Escape never an option Early in shuttle launching space Center. Houston a no matter How else Nasa improves the shuttle s safety All the Money in the world will not provide a Way for the Crew to escape during the first two minutes while the solid fuel rocket boosters Are firing an expert says. The survival of the astronauts during launch depends absolutely on those boosters working properly Tommy Holloway chief of the flight director s office at the Johnson space Center said in an interview. If those rockets fail he said you Don t have a snowball s Chance in  failure of the right solid fuel rocket Booster or Srb is the prime suspect in the Jan. 28 explosion that destroyed challenger and killed its Crew of seven 73 seconds after liftoff. There really was t anything that the ground or the Crew could have done about this problem said Holloway adding that he believes that will remain True As Long As subs Are used to launch the shuttle. Once the boosters solid propellant is ignited they cannot be stopped or slowed and will Burn until the propellant is depleted slightly More than two minutes after blast off after they Burn out at about h Miles Altitude the subs Are separated and parachuted to the Ocean. The boosters teamed with the shuttle s main engines fuelled by liquid Hydrogen and oxygen from the external tank pushed the whole stack weighing 4.5 million pounds when challenger took off to More than twice the Speed of sound within seconds after liftoff. Holloway said that even if some escape system was designed such As ejecting the whole Crew compartment while the subs Are burning the Crew would still be killed because of the High speeds reached while the subs Are firing. You re going at Mach 1.3 or 1.4, up to 2 about 1,400 Mph said Holloway. If you try to get off those things and the fireball Don t get you then just the dynamics of stopping will. One of the two is going to get you. The Engineer said challenger might have been torn apart just by the Force of the air smashing into it at such High speeds in Stead of by the fireball that enveloped it As the explosion in the fuel tank changed the aerodynamic shape of the Overall vehicle Assembly. I Don t think anyone is going to require an escape system in the first stage he said. The thing could still blow up out from under you and kill  in addition he said an escape system probably could not react in Lime to avoid a challenger like  m not sure it s possible even if you had All the Money in the world to build a system. To react in time to do anything about the51-l challenger situation he said. I Don t believe you could build a system with a human being in the Loop that could react fast enough to do any  he said some automatic system run by a computer could be devised but i would be. Very concerned about the system activating prematurely and inappropriately. To might invent something that would work right occasionally but screw up More often than it saved you., and the cure could be worse than  Holloway said engineers explored All of these possibilities Back in the late 70s" Aad concluded that there was no Safe escape from the shuttle during the Early moments of  the subs have burned out and Are discarded we be got every spectrum of. The flight covered for Safe escapes he said of luxury plane wins fleece Washington up the air Force spent thou Sands of dollars but year to furnish and maintain a luxury Airliner for its officers sen. William Proxmire d-wis., said sunday in bestowing his monthly Golden fleece award. The Wisconsin Democrat said the air Force s strategic air command was jetting away with Over $600,000 in taxpayer Money to Fly its commanders and generals in High style across the country an overseas on a converted Kc-i35a Tanker Jet. The strategic air command is the bomber leg of our strategic triad whose Mission would be to retaliate in time of a nuclear War but there s one plane in the Sac Fleet whose primary Mission is to make sure air Force brass get a pampered better than first class ride Proxmire said in a Sla ement. Talk about flying the Friendly skies said prox mire a member of the Senate s defense appropriations subcommittee who awards his Golden recce each month for what he describes As wasteful uses of taxpayers Money. The command Proxmire said converted the Jet Mohave an enhanced Galley custom built furnishings a distinctive paint scheme and a Crew that includes two flight stewards. A spokesman for the strategic air command capt. Dave Thurston said in a statement that the Kc-135 Tanker delivered to the command in 1959, is not a luxury Craft and its Crew still trains for its military role. Proxmire said an air Force report showed that the plane s Crew members Wear special distinctive Blue night suits and jackets that Cost twice As much As regular air Force uniforms. The report also pointed to panels Luggage Compart ments and carpeting that Cost Over $4,000. I can t think of a More Fly by night expense As we begin the Gramm Rudman budget cuts Proxmire said referring to legislation requiring the government to eliminate the Federal deficit by 1991. Congress is being asked to Cut Money next year for schoolchildren the poor and veterans and military Reti Rees. A lavish Airliner for generals should certainly Bethe first to go Proxmire said. Thurston said the most recent modifications to the Tanker plane were completed in 1984. Much of the Interior furnishings had been salvaged from commercial aircraft purchased by the air Force for their engines. The aircraft remains an operational Kc-135 flown by an operational air Crew thai trains for the wartime refuelling Mission Thurston said. Some 27 years ago passenger accommodations were added which do not interfere with the Tanker Mission he said. Since that time the aircraft has vials in performance of essential official  astronauts not told of threat paper says Houston up astronauts were not informed of the concern within Nasa about potentially catastrophic problems with the seals on Booster rockets the Houston Post reported in a copyright Story sunday. ,. La was a Surprise to us. You would think a lot of people would have gotten the word who did to said one Astro naut who is helping Accident investigators As he continues training to command a shuttle Mission still officially Setfor later this year. I we be got the same questions you be got the unidentified astronaut told the Post. We want to know who knew what  investigators have not concluded what caused the Jan. 28 explosion that destroyed the challenger killing its Crew of seven just after liftoff. A presidential commission probing the Accident is concentrating on of rings 12-foot circles of Quarter Inch thick synthetic rubber used to Seal joints of the reusable solid fuel boosters. All Active astronauts interviewed by the Post requested that their names not be used. Shirley Green director of Public affairs for the notional aeronautics and spice administration said the astronauts Are free to discuss anything but reached a consensus among themselves not to talk Tor a few  but some astronauts said they were ordered by top Agency officials to remain silent and they fear reprisal i they speak out