European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 24 o the stars and stripes Friday saturday january 1 -2,1988 Nasa downplays Booster failure Washington a space Agency officials jolted by a component failure in last week s shuttle Booster lest predict it will not take Long to fix the problem and that the tint Post challenger flight will not suffer a major delay. On the outside t think it s measured in weeks perhaps a couple of months . Thompson director of Hie marshal space flight Center in Alabama said wednesday i Don t think of it having a big the broken part a Boot ring was discovered tuesday when engineers examined a full scale Booster rocket Tysl fired last week at the Plant of manufacturer Morton Thi Okol in Brigham City. Utah pieces of theban were found in the nozzle of the rocket. Engineers focused on the nozzle s movement for a due and Morion the Jokola cancelled the scheduled sat urday shipment to Cape canaveral of two of the rocket segments for the june i govt. We Don t think it s appropriate to be talking about a delay beyond 1938 or anything but it s too Early to say it s a matter of two weeks As opposed to three said Thi Okol spokesman Rocky Raab of the prospective delay. But James c. Fletcher administrator of inc nation Al aeronautics and space administration said we. Are thinking. In term of several things should be noted about this Inci Dent he said first had it occurred in flight the flight would have been successful. Secondly this is what tests Are for to discover problems. Thirdly we have a Mcquen cd program to return to flight. Once we understand the nature of out problem and Comet it we can move ahead at our previous Pace Morton Thi Okol which builds the Booster rockets and planned to begin shipping segments of the first to Light boosters by rail beginning Jan. 2, ,. At this Point we Don l believe that is going to happen said Thomas Russell a vice president at the company s Chicago Headquarters. But later Raab said Russell was referring Only to the aft segments to which the nozzle is attached. The rockets were Buitt with the same Boot ring that broke in a full scale test firing on lice. 23. An Engineer for the National Aeron int Nind space administration said the come Wnent May have tile when the rocket no zif was swivel cd Loti position that would be used Only in turn to the launch site. Betty Ford returns to Hospital Kalian labor unions i i 11. .1 Rancho Mirage Calif. A former first lady belly Ford was reported in Good condition wednesday at Eisenhower medical Center where she was taken when she began feeling weak after dinner in Day before officials said. Mrs. Ford who underwent heart surgery Lasi month was feeling quite Good wednesday and was Able Sidsil up said her Secretary. Penny Circle. However he Secretary said the 69-year-old mrs. Ford was expected to remain in the Hospital another Day or two for observation. Circle did t give details of what caused mrs Ford s condition but said it Vas not believed to be connected to bleeding from her lures. Riverside county fire department officials who look mrs. Ford by ambulance to the Hospital noted that the former firm lady was bleeding from the suture she received in last month s heart surgery. That was just superficial bleeding which is the Secretary said. The Fords live a few minutes from the Hospital located in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs where president and Nancy Reagan Are vacationing this week and plan to spend new year s eve. The reagans have sen their Good wishes to mra. Ford and arc pleased to know that she is doing Well said while House spokesman Martin Fitzwater former president Gerald Ford and his wife had been scheduled to join the reagans Al saturday s open ing of the new Bob Hope cultural Center. Mrs Ford had returned to the couple s desert Home in Good condition on nov. 30, recovering from a six hour bypass operation nov. 20. In july Are. Ford known for her Candor wit and courage in the face of such illnesses As breast cancer and drug and alcohol addiction underwent surgery other left carotid artery. She had t suffered a heart attack or severe Chest pains and both operations were considered elective spokesman said. Drug suspect flees Colombia prison schedule Airport strikes Rome a ground workers will resume their strikes at italian airports after a truce Over the Christmas Holiday period. The strikes proclaimed by inc Man Itter federations Over contract disputes arc to
