European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 22, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 stars and stripes saturday february 22, 1986 Nasa ignored tests on seals Magazine says Washington a Nasa went ahead with the launch of challenger even Chough its tests a year ago showed that weather conditions like those overnight on Jan. 27 28 could freeze critical seals on Booster Rock Els an aerospace Magazine says. Aviation week and space technology a respected Industry Magazine said the National aeronautics and space administration wind Tunnel tests snowed that wind blowing across the super chilled shuttle fuel tank could cause a stiffening of the rubber like seals making them ineffective. Engineers believe this situation sets up a deadly sequence of events stemming from overnight cold that eventually caused the challenger s right solid fuel rocket Booster to break Loose from the fuel tank. The solid fuel rocket Booster then apparently crashed into the Wing the Magazine said illustrating its article with photographs. The shuttle was eight Miles High and nine Miles away from the coastline when it exploded in the 73rd second of flight on Jan. 28. The account appeared in the Magazine As members of the presidential challenger commission carried their investigation to hunks Villa Ala. Brigham City Utah and Cape canaveral a. Friday was the deadline imposed by the commission s chairman William Rogers for documents relating to prelaunch activities by Morion Thi Okol which makes the boosters and from Nasa. Materials Are being received said commission spokesman Mark Weinberg. The temperature at launch pad 39b, which dropped to 24 degrees overnight is suspected of causing rubber compound seals to stiffen and become ineffective on the boosters which generate 2.9 million pounds of thrust each to propel the shuttle to orbit. Nasa s wind Tunnel tests More than a year ago showed wind blowing across the fuel tank created the potential for a refrigeration effect cold enough to freeze critical of ring seals in the Bottom rocket stage joint aviation week said. Nasa managers did not consider the available wind Tunnel data when making their decision to launch it added. The shuttle s 154-foot-Long tank is loaded with a half million Gallons a liquid Hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The liquid Hydrogen is chilled to 423 degrees fahrenheit below Zero. Because ice falling off the fuel Lank has caused damage to shuttle lines during liftoff in the past ice teams Are sent out to make inspections. The team checking challenger read temperatures of 7-9 degrees fahrenheit on the lower right Booster but the word apparently never got to the shuttle launch manag ers. Outgoing Nasa shuttle Boss Jesse Moore said launch officials did not know about the internal argument at Morton Thi Okol which preceded the manufacturer s recommendation that the launch be allowed to proceed. Investigators have since Learned that is Morton Thi Okol engineers unanimously recommended against launch but the approval of company vice president Joe c. Kilminster was for warded despite those objections. Commission members David Acheson Robert Rummel and Eugene Covert were at the Morton Thi Okol Plant in Brigham City Friday. Commissioners Richard p. Feynman astronaut Sally ride and Robert Hotz were at Cape canaveral. And Donald j. Kutyna Arthur Walker and Neil Arm Strong were at the Marshall space flight Center in Alabama. In Congress meanwhile several Dilno crafts called for Senate hearings beginning next week with testimony from acting Nasa administrator William Graham and three officials involved in the Booster rocket program. Sen. Ernest Hollings d-s.c., charged that Republican leaders on the Senate Commerce committee which has been studying the Accident Are stonewalling for the Rogers commission by deciding to hold Only occasional hearings to Monitor the work of the panel. Hollings who has called for Graham s resignation told reporters the fellow s in Over his  a redesign of the Booster seals was consid ered almost certain to be recommended by the commission which holds open hearings next tuesday and wednesday Here. Such changes could ground shuttles for 18 to 24 months if new rocket forgings Are required. The seals which Are Between segments of the four part Booster Are checked for integ Rity by injecting an air pressure of 200 pounds per Square Inch through a test port. That drives the primary Seal away from ils scat and allows some Gas to pass it. The Gas then is stopped by a second backup Seal. Under Normal conditions the primary Seal quickly repeats and is in place by the time a pressure bulge in the rocket casing causes gases to bypass the secondary Seal. If the primary Seal is cold and therefore slow in moving into place and the secon Dary Seal is unseated engineers believe the motor would give off a puff of Black smoke at the joint aviation week said. Such a puff of i ack smoke was  in pictures taken less than a half second after the boosters ignited. The smoke resulted from part of the seals eroding and the burning of grease and Putty according to engineers. The Magazine said that sequence would account for the relatively Normal flight of the shuttle and Booster for almost one minute until the flow of Gas and flame inside the rocket gradually wore Down the already damaged primary Seal leaving Little to halt the escape of leaking exhaust gases  Congress from Page 1 Burger outlined to medical officials last september. The paper was tilled Kin re tired care shifted to Low  the military health care system itself is now the patient and you Are the doctor the paper said. We need your assistance to preserve a system which assures you free Dom of Choice and maintains the Quality the accountability and responsiveness Nec Essary for Good health care. Greendyke s objections have entered on Pentagon proposals to have some family members and retirees obtain their Basic health care through a system of civilian contract operated clinics or private physician groups rather than through military hospitals or the civilian health and medi Cal program of the uniformed services champs. Specialized care S.C. As surgery would still be available from military facilities. The proposals Are aimed at redirecting the services crowded health care facilities toward wartime medical readiness. The talking paper said a solution being advocated is to reduce the number of paediatricians obstetricians and other non surgeons. Only a few family members would continue to receive care at military facilities and the rest would receive care in the civil Ian sector Greendyke s paper said. If events continue As planned it said families and retirees would have less free Dom of Choice of medical care personal costs would increase and accountability for care would be less. But Mayer repeatedly told military Community forums this week that no plan has been developed. He said the Pentagon is Only exploring ways to do business better than under champs which he said is too costly and burdensome. Currently if family members or retirees choose to see a civilian doctor they pay an annual deductible and a percentage of the Bill and champs pays the rest. About 25 percent to 30 percent of family members and retirees now choose to go to civilian doctors. Mayer said any plan would retain peo ple s Freedom of Choice and require records and facilities to be reviewed by military officials. Family members and retirees who preferred to go to a military medical facility or a private doctor of their own choosing could continue to do so Mayer said. He also said he could not simply fire paediatricians and obstetricians and hire More surgeons even though the military has far More of those specialities than it would need to go to War and not enough surgeons. Mayer issued his own position paper this month the truth about the champs Reform  in it Mayer said the project has one goal to improve our ability to provide Quality health care in times of both War and peace to everyone in our Mili tary  he also said the plan would not award contracts for providing dependent and Reti ree medical care based on the lowest bid. Further it would not affect health care services overseas. At the september meeting with Hospital commanders Mayer said Tough choices will have to be made to restore the system s ability to perform its primary Mission of Tak ing care of casualties. Achieving and maintaining medical readiness will be the guiding principle in determining the size and scope of Active duty and Reserve forces training programs our facilities and in House workload he spy from Page 1 from disclosing information about Bis Case or his background. An embassy spokesman insisting on anonymity said a . Consular officer visited Bothwell thursday. . Consular officers intervene in British courts Only in cases involving . Citizens. Bothwell was charged with violating S.C.Tion seven of Britain s 1911 official secrets act. He entered no plea at a 15-min Ute hearing at Bow Street magistrates court and was ordered held in custody for one week pending further hearings. Magistrate William Robbins rejected an application for bail by Bothwell s lawyer. Scotland Yard earlier incorrectly reported that Bothwell was accused under Section one of the Law which would be a More. Serious charge of carrying out rather than preparing to carry out a crime. Bothwell tanned and Gray haired smiled at Bis wife in the Public gallery As he entered the Central London court. He wore a checked Blazer and carried a Raincoat a hat and a copy of Robert Graves novel i Claudius. His wife was not identified. The formal charge alleged that on or before feb. 16,1986, he did an act preparatory to the commission of an offence under the official secrets act by making arrangements for the communication to a per son of information to be or Likely to be directly or indirectly useful to an  Bothwell gave an address in Bath but press association said he spent six months of the year in England and the remainder of the time in Athens Greece. Volcker from Page 1 Point of being constructive and Start being destructive he said. And in a direct reference to a claim by cult or that the Dollar should drop at least another 10 percent to 15 percent Volcker said then i guess i m not in agreement with or.  Baker testifying before the joint eco nomic committee earlier in the Day denied he had any fundamental difference on the Issue with Volcker. Baker said he was talking Only of an orderly continued descent of the Dollar not a free  clearly no one wants to see a dramatic or precipitous drop in the currency Baker said. And Yeutter while claiming he Baker and Volcker were All on the same Wavelength told a House Trade subcommittee in my opinion we have not reached an equilibrium  Volcker did not distinguish Between a gradual further decline or a Quick one and said repeatedly he does t know a Jere an equilibrium Point might be. He suggested that any further drop in the Dollar might be hazardous saying we Are approaching the danger zone. Sen. William Proxmire d-wis., commented it s a novel theory that the decline of the Dollar will not be of some help some where All other things being  " All other things being equal is not a world in which i live Volcker replied. Said. We will change the expectation that the military health care system As we now know it must accomplish both our wartime and peacetime missions Mayer said. I suggest to you that some of the very sub Stantial non Active duty workload that you have traditionally been pushed to recapture May no longer belong in House. It is not work that uses and challenges wartime Rele vant personnel. And it sorely strains your resources and detracts from your readiness Mission. I will reduce authorization for Active duty personnel facilities and training that do not meet our wartime Mission require ments Mayer said. Weinberger told the doctors at the same meeting there Are alternatives in the civilian Community for meeting family oriented medical care. I am directing or. Mayer aggressively to seek arrangements with Community med ical resources where they Are available and where they meet our nigh Quality Stan Dards Weinberger said staff Weller Chuck Vlinch in Washington contributed to this Story temperatures february � l a it a a u 28 31 i 27 is 34 32 a a u 45 10 30 43 81 4s u Alban Atlanta Atlantic cell Ballon Chicago Clevelan Dallas Denverd troll Honolulu Houston l h20 30 Kansas Colv 43 64 la vegas.52 72 los Ang Lei u a miami44 a new Orleans 65 14 orlando54 75 menu 29 u philadelphia22 44 Pittsburgh 32 48 Salt Lake City to Smi Francisco 13 48 Washington european weather forecast for saturday partly Cloudy to fair skies with morning fog. Coastal Arees in Nan Kallard Snow showers while remaining areas we have slight Chance of Snow. High temperatures Tow to my 20s, tows Iran near s to upper teens. Sunset saturdayss4. Sunrise sunday 1m. Outlook for sunday Ullie change Ullh temperatures nearly the same temperatures recorded Friday 4am 4pmadana, p a to Amsterdam fathers p Valano Oberlin p Bremerhaven Brussels f 14 23 34 s7 21 21 21 22 19 28 4am 4pmcopenhagen, s u 23 Frankfurt f 12 27london, to 23 30 Madrid p 45 Somunich f it 21 Perls of � 30rome, p 4 52 other worldwide temperatures High low77 s7 37 30cairo, Dublin. 0helsinki, d Jerusalem Lisbon r 1061 45 57 so Mon reel Moscow f Oslo Toronto r Vancouver s High Low 39 27 7 -10 14 0 3 31 21 14