European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 10, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes monday March 10, 1986 2nd soviet probe sends images of Comet Moscow a the Vega 2 space probe rocketed across the path of Halley s Comet sunday suffering some damage from a High Speed collision with dust but relaying data Back to Earth that had scientists pondering the Comet s makeup. Vega 2, the second soviet launched probe to rendezvous with Halley s in four Days flew at a Speed of about 50 Miles per second in front of the Comet making its closest pass at 10 19 . At a distance of 5,125 Miles from the Core officials said. About 100 scientists from around the world gathered at the soviet Institute for space research to watch electronically produced images of the Comet As they arrived Back on Earth nine minutes after transmission. The scientists also provided some instant analysis of results from experiments on Board both Vega 2 and its sister probe Vega 1, which made its closest approach to Halley s on thursday. Roald said Eye head of the space re search Institute and overseer of the International Vega project said minutes after the images arrived from the closest encounter that the Comet s nucleus appears to be a solid body levitated in a dust  he and other scientists agreed that the diameter of the nucleus appears to be about 3% Miles and that it is egg shaped but the exact dimensions of the solid Core within the travelling dust Cloud remain unknown. The Vega 2 experienced at least a 40 percent Power loss after its solar panels and some external instruments were damaged by the dust it was travelling through said Georgy Gol Tsyn of the Moscow atmospherics Institute. The dust particles Are barely visible but due to the High speeds of the Vega 2 and the Comet the particles pitted the surface of the panels and the instruments. There was also a momentary break in Here is one of the pictures of Halley s Comet taken by a soviet probe As the Comet continues on its journey through space. Up photo communications from Vega 2 about 10 minutes before the rendezvous when Fric Tion with the dust built up an electrical charge and the spacecraft got zapped said Dennis Papadopoulos a University of Maryland professor among the . Observers in Moscow. American astronomer Carl Sagan of Cornell University said even the times of failure will provide scientific information As scientists now know what risks to expect when sending probes that close to a Comet. Similar dust damage occurred to Vega 1 when it crossed the Comet s path on thurs Day but it remains in space and has enough propellant left to be re targeted to another planet. No further plans for the Vega probes have been revealed. The dust problems experienced by the vegas have scientists from the european space Agency worried about the Fate of their probe Giotto which on thursday will attempt the closest pass Ever made to the visitor that swings around the Sun once every 76 years. Giotto is expected to get within 310 Miles of Halley a and some space researchers say they fear the probe will be destroyed by micrometers from the Comet. Roger Maurice Bonnet of the european space Agency arrived in Moscow on sat urday for a one Day viewing of the Vega data and he planned to go to Darmstadt Germany sunday night to begin the Vigil for the Giotto Mission. He told scientists in Moscow he is Wor ried that the Esa probe May get too close but that it should be Able to relay Back important information As it approaches Halley s. Japan also has two spacecraft aloft to collect data on the Comet but they Are pass ing at a greater distance. One of them Sui Sei come approached within 89,500 Miles of the Comet on saturday and snapped pictures of the Corona of Hydrogen atoms around its Core japanese officials said. The second is to make a Fly by on tues Day. Hundreds at ceremony for Soares Portugal installs first civilian president in 60 years Lisbon up former socialist prime minister Mario Soares pledging to work for political stability took the oath of office sunday As Portugal s first civilian presi Dent in 60 years. I will be the president of All the portuguese not Only of those who elected me Soares 61, told parliament in a gesture to heal the left right divisions that split the country during the election. The three time prime minister a Backer of nato and the european Community was sworn in at Sao Bento pal Ace before parliament the government and hundreds of foreign dignitaries including five european and african presidents eight prime ministers and . Vice president George Bush. News update standing at parliament s Flower bedecked podium Soares swore to defend and uphold the 12-year-old democracy s Constitution during his five year term. In an inaugural address punctuated by repeated applause Soares assured his Loyal support and Solidarity with the four month old minority government of prime minister Anibal Cavaco Silva. I will do everything to guarantee political and institutional stability in Accord with the responsibilities conferred on me by the portuguese he said. Noting that he had abandoned the leadership of the socialist party after the feb. 16 election Soares assured the legislature and All parties of his impartial  Soares garnering the support of All the leftist parties including the soviet line communists won the Runoff elec Tion with a Mere 1.36 percent advantage Over Christian Democrat Diogo Freitas Amaral who had the govern ment s backing. Living in Western Europe s poorest nation the 10 million portuguese 20 percent of whom Are illiterate have had 16 governments since leftist officers Over threw a 48-year dictatorship in 1974 and began Restor ing democracy. In becoming the country s first civilian head of state since 1925, Soares replaced Antonio Ramalho eanes an army general who served two terms but was constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. Tylenol suicide Nashville Tenn. A a Man whose body contained 20 times the lethal amount of cyanide and was found next to a tylenol capsule filled with the Poison committed suicide authorities have ruled. The body of Timothy r. Green 32, was found feb. 23 with a bottle of extra strength tylenol containing one capsule filled with cyanide next to his death bed touching off an investigation that included the Fri and . Food and drug administration. Along with establishing that Green himself had purchased the cyanide investigators discovered he was involved in a failing part time jewelry business and was having financial problems. Promoters dropped a woo Kap lbs re =ord3, records and poly ram have announced they Are dropping some Independent promoters joining four other big re Cord companies in shunning the promoters whose activities Are being investigated by a Federal grand jury. Lbs said it was substantially reducing the number of independents it uses while poly ram and am issued Brief statements that avoided saying How Many promoters will be affected by its action. Earlier Warner communications and Ria Ariola announced they were drop Ping All independents and Mca said it was suspending some. Canadian pleads guilty Newark . A a Canadian businessman has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle at least $10 million Worth of military electronics and radar equipment to iran. Metin Tanir 51, of Montreal told . District judge Harold Ackerman that he conspired with two turkish citizens to Send the equipment from the United states via Canada and Turkey to iran. The two other men Gungor Engin 48, a retired lieutenant colonel in the turkish air Force and Selahattin Oguiza to 36, an Export import consultant both of Ankara Turkey Are being held without bail at the metropolitan correctional Center in new York pending a trial. A Loans to continue Washington a president Reagan has signed a Bill designed to pre vent a threatened cutoff in Home Mort Gage Loans guaranteed by the veterans administration. The measure raises the authorized level of a backed Loans to $18.2 billion up from $12 billion. Because of spending cuts required by the Gramm Rudman deficit reduction Law the amount will be reduced by 4.3 percent. Faced with Gramm Rudman cuts which would have reduced the $12 billion ceiling to $11.6 billion the a had said it would have to suspend the Home loan Gua Ranty program around april 1. Workers used drugs Oak Ridge Tenn. A eight workers at a nuclear weapons Plant lost their Security clearances after a Federal investigation concluded they used drugs on the Job a congressional aide has said. The workers at the y-12 weapons Plant operated by Martin Marietta for the . Department of Energy lost the clearances this year said department spokesman Jim Alexander. The Agency asked the contractor to reassign the employees. Of the eight three were Security guards. I can t say if the others were in sensitive positions and i can t comment on Why they be lost their clearances Alex Ander said