European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page the stars and stripes monday december 22.1986 Book focuses on shuttle tragedy Cape canaveral. Fla. Up the first comprehensive Hook on the january challenger trap cd raises questions Ghoul political Compromise and possible conflict of interest among Nasa Leaden during inc shuttle s formative years. In challenger a major  Malcolm Mcc Onnell blames inc National aeronautics and space administration s fall on the beginning of the shuttle pro Gram charging the Agency with Bamboo los c onto Russ into supporting the project by milking clearly unrealistic promises on the capabilities of the space plane. Mcconnell suggests Nasa administrator James Fletcher a Utah in tic who also was the Agency s chief when he shuttle project got under Way nug lil have Al Lowed his Utah connections o influence his selection of Morton Shioko inc. Of Brigham City. Utah in 1to 10 build the shuttle s solid fuel boosters. According to a former senior project Engineer at the mar Hiil spate right Center the Tai Solol contract was the result of pressure from the mormon mafia of which or. T  leading inc Ber Mcconnell said. Fletcher has denied any Bias. James Mcculla Deputy Ili Roebor of Public affairs for Nasa said the arguments made in the Book were examined by the Senate com my acc. Science and transportation committee during Fletcher s confirmation hearing last Spring and the com Mittee recommended his nomination to be Nasa admin  Mcconnell also raises questions about the role of Dale Myers current Deputy Nasa administrator when he was the Agency s associate adm in Istratov for space flight. Mcconnell says Myers handpicked the formal source evaluation Board which operated in secret to select a contractor for the shuttle s High technology liquid fuelled main engines. This confidential process was traditional with Nasa ostensibly it protected the competitive proprietary Trade soc Cis contained in the bidding contractors proposals Mconnell says. Challenger launch beating but the secret process would also allow the Nasa administrator or his associates to stack the Board with sympathetic members the Book says. One of three companies competing for the lucrative contract was Rock Tyne division of North american Rockwell. Myers came to Nasa directly from Rockwell where he had been vice president of the company s space shuttle project. A hungry fan was thus installed in the Middle of the Henhouse Mcconnell writes. Fletcher selected rocket Ync for the contract in july 1971 even though Mcconnell believes frail and Whitney had a  Superior design. Then on july 26. 1972, Fletcher announced Rockwell had won a contract Worth 12.6 billion Over six Yean As prime contractor for the space shuttle beating out Grum Man aerospace and Mcdonnell Douglas astronautics co. Once the Fine print of the mull billion Dollar arbiter and main engine contracts had been hammered out and Rockwell was settled into building the hardware. Dale Myers straightened out a few other items then reaped his political appointment As Nasa s associate adminis Trator for manned space flight Mcconnell write. He then rejoined  Fletcher left Nasa in 1977, but in March 1986, presi Dent Reagan asked him to Lead Nasa s recovery from the challenger disaster. After his confirmation. Fletcher named Myers to serve As his Deputy. Nasa Public affairs officer Sarah pc can said Myers was not available for comment but she said his unanimous confirmation in the Senate Speaks for his Creden  for the challenger disaster Mcconnell paints a Pic Ture of human frailty and inc Complete breakdown of Nasa s longstanding safely first policy. Mcconnell jays Nasa was under enormous pressure to make the shuttle live up to the promises made during the program development. Pressure to meet an Overly ambitious launch schedule was cited by the Rogers commission As a contributing cause of the Accident. Mcconnell says pressure existed because Nasa had committed itself to the myth thai the shuttle was an operational aircraft. He writes that the myth was bom during the shuttle s formative years when the Agency told Congress the space shuttle program would Cost about $5 billion and would earn Back that Cost in a single  making these incredible promises in 1970 in order to squeeze an initial trickle of Start up funds from con Gress Nasa became committed to designing a space shuttle with both a Low development Cost and the certainty of dependable routing  Mcconnell said. Emergency escape system Likely for shuttle shuttle escape one scenario for a future malfunction and How the Crew would escape 1hypotheticalproblem after Normal liftoff and solid rocket Booster separation z of orbiter s 3 main engines fail altitudes too Tow to return to launch site thrust is too Low to gain orbit 2pitch-around Pilot  and external tank into Heads opposition orator detaches from external Titusville Fla a a Ere escape system almost certainly will be installed in the space shuttle discovery before its scheduled launch in i9b8. A Nasa official says. Proposals for an emergency bail out system have ranged from ejection seats to an entire Crew escape vehicle but tip Talone shuttle flow director would not say which idea the space Agency was considering. Discovery is scheduled for launch on feb. 18, 1988, to inc first shuttle Mission since challenger exploded 73 seconds after Lin Oft Jan. 28, killing All seven astronauts aboard. The presidential commission that investigated the disaster blamed on a leak of hoi gases through a bad Seal on a rocket Booster recommended that the National aeronautics and space administration try 10 develop an escape system for Hie when the shuttle is gliding to a Landing. But the panel conceded no escape mechanism could have saved the challenger Crew while the powerful boosters were firing. It s a "90 percent bet an escape mechanism will be installed in discovery said Tal one commenting As he assessed the Craft for u status report to Nasa Headquarters. The astronauts have final vote on All changes and i just can l imagine them giving this an escape system up Talone said. Our scheduling for a feb. 18 launch Hain t taken into account installing an escape system but i Don t think it would Sel us  of 100 modifications set for discovery most involve Complex technology and about to must be made before it flies again Talone Taid. The others involve mostly upgrading parts he Laid discovery is being tested like it i never left the ground he said. I m not making promises but it looks like Well gel work schedules Money and new hardware All together on  Flat Earth believer Calls voyager trip hoax Lancaster Calif. A the voyager attempt to Fly around inc Globe non Stop is a has because the plane has just been circling Over a Platter shaped Earth says the founder of a Flat Earth society chapter Here. Hying around the world is of to say but the world is not a Globe. It is Flat like an Island with magnetic North in the Middle said Charles h. Johnson. Johnson is the founder of the Flat Earth research society International. He publishes a quarterly newsletter about Flat Earth theories and revelations and says his group has 3,000 members. Pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager look Oft from California on dec. 14 and Are in the final leg of their return trip to Edwards fab. All they Are doing is flying in a Circle around the magnetic North. If they claim they have been around inc Globe it will be just another Hoiu Johnson 58, said from his Mojave desert Home jus 20 Miles from Edwards he said anyone claiming the plane flew around a Globe is a pathological liar and you can quote me on  Rulan is certainly not girdling Over any Globe. He s simply making a cruise. Like Columbus and Lindbergh before it. The voyager proves the world is Flat he said these people arc just making another demonstration that they Are just flying Over the