European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 24. 1988 the stars and stripes Page 7 Singer s space plan irks astronauts Denver fes group about bid to Fly with soviets Houston up some astronauts arc Upsel that they were required to at tend a recent briefing in which Singer John Denver talked about his plans to Fly on a soviet space Mission a newspaper reported Friday. Chief astronaut Dan Branden Sld told the Houston chronicle that he granted Denver permission to give the briefing during a weekly astronaut meet ing at Johnson space Center on sept 6. Denver specified that the briefing be closed and off the record Nasa sources said. The Singer is an avid space supporter and Jet Pilot and he has Long expressed interest in one Day flying aboard a space shuttle without Luck. Denver said recently that the soviets approached him about such a flight and told him that he would have to learn russian obtain . Government approval gel an astronaut style physical examination and be free to spend a year in the soviet Union for training. Denver said he has stale department approval and he recently paid for a physical exam at the Johnson space Cen Ter in Houston. About 50 of Nasa s More than 90 astronauts attended the meeting at which Denver spoke. Some of the others were on other duties at the time. Various sources including some Astro nauts who requested anonymity to keep their flight status described the meeting with Denver As hostile Cool and  Denver told the group that the soviets have invited other americans to join the space Mission the sources said. Many astronauts oppose sharing space flights with the soviets. Do Veteran astronaut arrived at the Denver briefing five minutes late and condemned the briefing a waste of time and an insult to the astronauts who had better things to do Denver s presence has aroused anger among Nasa employees Busy preparing for thursday s scheduled launch of the Reagan applauds space Effort Houston a seven Days be fore the United states Hopes to return to manned space Light president Reagan lauded the seven heroes of the Chal Lenger on thursday and pledged you can delay our Long trek to greatness but you cannot Hall it returning to the scene of one of his most emotional times As president Reagan told workers Al the Johnson space Center soon the world will be watching As five Brave americans lift off from Earth. America is going to space again and we Are going there to  three Days after the challenger blew apart on Jan. 28, i9s6, Little More than a minute after liftoff Rea Gan went to the Johnson space Center to console the relatives and friends of the seven Crew members who died. America s worst space tragedy Shook the nation and threw the space program into disarray. In a speech to National aeronautics and space administration employees a week before discovery s launch Reagan said our Early settlers knew great risks and made great sacrifices but with their sacrifices they moved the Frontier for Ward and built a great  neither can we stand still nor be con tent and we arc not afraid Reagan said Iii Fortune can slow us Down but it can not Stop  upon his arrival in Houston Reagan was asked if he wanted to go up in space. I be been there Lor several years the president chuckled As he climbed into his limousine. President Reagan und the Crew or Ilio shuttle discover wove la their families m the Johnson space Center in Houston space shuttle discovery. We Teel As if we arc being used and Nasa is being used said a Veteran employee who dealt with the pop Singer. Dnton Zenstein said however that Den ver came to Houston with solid support. He had previously talked to upper level channels with Nasa administrator James Fletcher and Secretary of slate George Shultz Branden slain said. We Don t just let anyone come up to the astronaut office. Al was Worth our people getting the straight word on what he planned to  Bui other astronauts and Johnson space Center employees termed Den ver s plans a publicity stunt . Decides to eliminate Aid to Burma Washington a the slate department said thursday the United slates is cutting off All Aid except Emer gency humanitarian assistance to Burma where leaders of a military coup have ruthlessly suppressed pro democracy protesters. In Light of the current unsettled Polit ical conditions in Burma we arc unable to continue our assistance programs Iacre for the Lime being department spokesman Audi bronc said. Accordingly we arc halting further Aid other than emergency humanitarian assistance until conditions permit a re sumption he said Reading from a slate department statement we Hope that that will be soon and we look Forward to renewing cooperation with Burma and the burmese  bronc said he believed . Aid to Burma totalled $12.? million but he did not know How Midi of the Aid is for emergency humanitarian assistance. Burma has been convulsed for months by widespread pro democracy protests. Such protests led be win who seized Power in 1962 and whose authoritarian Rule turned resource Rich Burma into a land of poverty to resign in late july. Gen. Saw Maung who became prime minister wednesday after leading a Mili tary coup sunday is the third new Leader in two months of chaos and bloodshed. Life after the fast Lane slows Down speeding teens Macon to. A tired of teen agers driving dangerously fast judge James Foley came up with an educational punishment that officials say May save lives by making the youths think twice. Youngsters convicted of going 80 Mph or More in Macon county Are ordered to spend a Day with High Speed Accident victims Many unable to move More than their eyeballs in inc Hospital Beds where they live out their lives. I be been on too Many phone Calls from the High Way patrol saying that some youngster was killed in a car wreck. I m sick of that said Foley a county prosecutor for 23 years before becoming an associate circuit judge 18 months ago. He is s3. I m trying to reach Youthful Drivers who have 50 years ahead of them. You expect kids to make mis takes Bui if you let them do nothing about it but mail in a Fine then what have you done to modify their behaviour Foley has sent about 30 speeders aged 16-21 to the University of Missouri health sciences Center at Columbia for a Day of talking to doctors nurses and other staff members along with some of the patients. The youngsters then have to write an essay about what Thyl Camcy. If they fail to go to the Hospital and write the essay they risk losing their licenses. The Hospital trip does not keep them from having to pay fines of $150-$200. Nobody making the trip to Columbia has reappeared before him for speeding the judge said Al though one youth was later ticketed in another county. In one essay a 17-year-old boy who had been caught going 94 Mph summed up the effect of tour ing the intensive care unit where lubes and wires keep patients alive this scene was More disgusting than watching All of inc Friday the 13th movies con  another speeder wrote that he gave up his motor Cycle i have lost my nerve and Don t want to have my Luck run out. 1 want to live a Long life Al the Hospital the Leen agers gel a picture of what happens from the Lime a patient is admitted through treatment and rehabilitation said Kathleen Cain who runs the program and is coordinator of the Hospital s head and spinal injury prevention project. They expect to Sec blood and guts and be fright  she said. The real reality for them is seeing somebody trying to least to cat or learn to speak. They Sec people doing things As Basic As learning How to comb Pineir hair. For inc most part the patients Are the same age As the speeders which Cain said has a profound Impact on them the Day slowly grows on them. They Don t come in and immediately see something that la Knock their socks off she said. As the Day goes on they get  one turning Point in their feelings she said is having lunch with a 21 year old quadriplegic. It makes a real Impact on them. He s pretty Blunt with telling them what his life is  Al least we can Sec where we get their attention and they learn something Cain added