European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 26, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. November 28, 1966 soviet ski far along Jane s says London a soviet Star Ware research is much further advanced than is commonly believed and the soviet Union is benefiting from a very dark Cloud Over . Space programs a British expert says. Anyone who thinks the soviet Union is lacking a comparable ski program should think again writes Bernard Blake editor of the respected Jane s weapon systems in the latest cd lion or its annual Survey of defense systems around the world. Ski the strategic defense initiative popularly known As Star wars is a space based defense system Tor the future that would use satellites and laser beams to Knock out nuclear missiles. It was the stumbling Block that led to the failure of the .-Soviel Summit in Iceland last month when president Reagan refused soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev s demand that he restrict ski research to the Laboratory. Soviet ski and its major advances in nuclear weaponry and anti nuclear defences should be remembered when reviewing some of the Kremlin s arms control proposals Blake writes. Since the Early 1970s, the .s.r. Has had the world s Only anti satellite system whereby an offensive device enters the same orbit As the satellite and destroys it by exploding a conventional warhead he writes. He lists the hardware in the very extensive soviet Early warning network and says these Are Allied with soviet nuclear armed ground based missiles to intercept warheads in space before re entry. A particle beam research program comparable with that of the United slates is also under Way and is expected to produce systems to disrupt or destroy satellites in the 1990s, he writes adding that kinetic Energy and radio frequency weapons arc also believed to do Well  All these Lake the concepts of ski out of a film producer s dreams into the hard facts of Metal and rivets this Lime however with Large red instead of White stars painted on the systems Blake writes. Turning to space in general Blake says in is an undoubted fact that for the next few years the soviet Union will have the Edge Over the United slates in research into space related  he says the failure of the three main . Launch vehicles shuttle. Titan and Delta inside a three month period has cast a very dark Cloud Over the whole american space activity the european Anane space launcher docs not Promise to be a replacement and meanwhile the Hall in . Programs while investigations Are conducted is giving the .b.k. An Opportunity to build up a Lead. An Opportunity which ii is Likely to seize with both hands. The main area where the West retains a consider Able Lead is in computer technology Blake writes Ana the soviet Union is making great efforts 10 close this Gap with its own resources As Well As Clandestine activities to obtain n Western  Long Range nuclear missile developments the Kremlin is embarked on a major reinforcement of its rocket silos while a plethora of new missiles and modifications to already capable systems Are appear ing boosting throw weight and accuracy Blake writes. He warns that the soviets Are close to having a National anti ballistic missile network in the nol Loo Distant future in itself rendering the 1972 abm treaty not Worth the paper on which it is written. Research director Jean Pierre poem Crenus stands beside depletion of the winning ring Light project. Orbiting ring of Light chosen As Eiffel Tower of space Paris a for those who May have missed the Eiffel Tower there is Little double that they will Overlook the i9s9 version of Man s homage to Sci ence and Industry a Gigantic orbiting space ring thai glows in the  Eiffel Tower organization in conjunction with the european space Agency and the French National Center for space studies on monday chose the ring Light project of a group of pans architects As the Eiffel Tower of  Gustavc Eiffel s lower built in pans 100 years after the 1789 French revolution symbolized Industrial audacity. The new Monument is to Symbol ize communications and  the winning project arc architects Alain Coquet and Jerome Gerber along with Jean Pierre poem Cream director of research at the French a Lional Center for scientific research. The ring Light to be launched in three years is made of an extra Strong inflatable plastic Hose one Inch in diameter and 15 Miles in circumference roughly the size of Paris. Every 788 feet is a polyester sphere 20 feel in diameter. The Sun s rays will Light the 100 spheres and the spheres will appear from Earth to be about the same size As the Moon the ring of Light was chosen from among three finalists Wlinich included a Light reflecting space sail and a space disc that would have flashed a Morse code message Back to  final three were selected in october from among 99 projects entered in a european Competition. There May be some however who Don l see the need for a Man made ring of Light the size of he Moon orbiting Earth. Do you kno of any Monument on the Earlh constructed without a drama Pommer Cau asked in anticipation of eventual criticism. On the other hand while the Eiffel Tower has stood for 97 year along the Banks of the Seine River the ring Light is programmed for about three years before  were looking for a different  said co Quet. The abject had 10 be soft and reflect the Light of the  also had to be As Small As possible to fit in the european space Agency s ariane launcher which ii Why a flexible inflatable object was chosen. The entire Monument can be packed into 7,8 Square feel of space. Coquet  admitted that the project needed More study. Bernard Richcr president of the Eiffel Tower noted in his announcement of the Winner that if further research shows the ring Light won t work the second place project will be tried. That is the space sail of French artist Pierre comte and his scientific Counselor Guy Marchal. The space sail is a 19,400 Square fool device made of inflatable material whose orbit can be changed from a ground control so its Brilliant flashes can be seen in All areas of the world. Aid to contras will have big Impact official says Washington a a top state department official monday said he believes the j100 million in . Aid Money earmarked for nicaraguan rebels will have an enormous Impact on the civil War in that country. Assistant Secretary of state Elli Oll Abrams said the Aid will affect the Situa Tion because of the widespread repression in Nicaragua and the unpopularity of the leftist sandinista government. It would have no Impact of the government were popular he , who Heads the latin America Bureau look pan in n Iran a Antic new conference sponsored by the . Information Agency in which he was questioned by reporters from nordic countries. He said the $100 million most of which will be allocated for military Aid will last for one year after which the Reagan administration will seek additional assistance from Congress Assn ing that the conflict in Nicaragua is not settled by  disputed a suggestion by a questioner that nicaraguans arc free to oppose their government. As an example he said the food rationing system 11 run by local revolution Ary defense  they find out that you re a regular churchgoer or thai you arc Active in he Christian democratic party or social Christian party or the Independent Liberal party Iacre goes your ration he said. So it in t so easy for people to speak up. This is a country under occupation by a group of communists. This is an occupation Force of cubans and Bulgari ans and russians and East germans and nicaraguan communists. It is very Tough to fight against  said soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev is attempting to expand his nation s ties with latin american nations to see what trouble can be stirred the soviets have become much More of a world Power and it was predictable they would try to establish a greater Pat Tern of relations with South America in particular and Mexico he said referring to Gorbachev s planned hemispheric visit next Spring Abrams also said military regimes in latin America have been giving Way to democracies which arc More interested in broadening relations with the soviet Union. Abrams said he is troubled by the so Viet inroads into latin America because soviet and cuban and East european embassies tend to be censers of subversion As Well u diplomatic activity