European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 30, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday september 30, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 a f upbeat astronauts five smiling astronauts leave the Ken Nedy space Center operations building thursday morning to Board transportation taking them to the Span shuttle discovery. From left to right David Hilmen background Richard Covey hand up George Nelson background Mike lounge and Rick Hauck. 250,000 on hand to cheer discovery Titusville Fla. A an Esti mated 250,000 people cheered from riverbanks and roadsides thursday As Dis covery lifted off on America s first manned space Mission in 32 months. The crowds lining . 1 across the Indian River from Kennedy space Cen Ter counted Down the final few second with a Nasa announcer piped in by Loudspeaker. They broke into shouts of encouragement As discovery lifted off. They Quick cd Down when the space ship disappeared behind a layer of Clouds but the yells began again when i reappeared and became louder when the crowds heard the announcement 2 min utes. 4 seconds after launch that the boosters had separated. Of my gosh it was great said 11-Ycar-old Tommy Malhis of Detroit. It was neat watching. It just looked Ikea Ball of fire at first going up. And it went into a Cloud Halfway up. As soon As it went out it was Beautiful he said. Starting wednesday tens of thousands of people pitched their tents parked their campers and pulled out their Lawn chairs to grab the Best viewing spots. But Nasa estimates of up 10 1 million spectators proved to be overblown. Joan Heller a spokeswoman for the Brevard county sheriffs office said shortly after launch thai she guessed about a Quarter million people were on hand. It s about the same size or smaller than the first launch larger than the most recent launches but not nearly a big As anticipated she said. No arrests or major traffic problem were reported at launch Lime but at Dawn traffic was backed up on roads leading to the space Center. Highway embankments teemed with spectators searching for breakfast and setting up binoculars and camera  even risked having their cars Lowed away by parking illegally outside one of the Center  s going to work this time Doug Miller 22, of Wilton conn., said wednesday outside a Lent he and a Friend set up in a Field across the India River from the Kennedy space Center. It s almost like it s starting All Over again said Dean lax 21, a senior at Emory Riddle aeronautical University in Daylong Beach. In addition to the Public about 3,000 vips including movie stars and Mem Bers of Congress planned to watch from a site on the space Center grounds. A re Cord 5,000 journalists sought accreditation to cover the launch but Only about1,800 were allowed at the main press  lined Many stretches of Road shoulder along . I in Tilus Yilli an souvenir stands and portable toilets were put up on All major highways health officials set up nine first Aid tents along the highways expected to be most crowded said buddy Render a Bat Lalion chief with Brevard county fir and Rescue. Bender said minor injuries cuts bruises dehydration were All health workers expected to Deal with but they were prepared for any kind of mass casualty  hospitals were on emergency standby with extra personnel  Barnes a 68-year-old retired air Force Pilot from Paradise calif.,said wednesday that watching the shuttle would be like watching the Flag waving. His wife Nita 67, agreed saying it just gives you  and Norma Perkins came from the Chicago suburb of Homewood to watch discovery s launch. The couple who have seen three or four other shuttle launches said the experience was very very  the tears to your  said mrs. Perkins 63. It really does. You know your heart just kind  Tough redesigned rockets do of Weir Fob flawlessly Cape canaveral Fla. A the space shuttle Booster rockets redesigned after their failure caused the challenger explosion did their Job flawlessly thursday powering the discovery toward orbit for 2minutes and 4 seconds before dropping Oft into the Atlantic  ships were waiting 150 Miles off Shore to locale the spent casings and to them Back to Shore where they will be examined and then refitted fora future  Shadbolt a spokesman for lock heed space operations co., which is i charge of the recovery said the boosters should reach port canaveral Fla., by Friday  s launch represented a High stakes Gamble that the fragile flawed Rococi which destroyed challenger could be re modelled into Lough durable engines Able to return americans safely to space. Pressed for time and too Short of Moneylon Start from scratch the National aeronautics and space administration spent $600 million to make 140 changes in the Chal Lenger Rockel design and then to conduct the most demanding Tysl sever  say the results of Al the changes arc Rock is just Short of the Best design Possi solid rocket Booster  anon est raffle sir Tot Seton Han a Hutu t3 4 so Ai Ion it do pounds in full Drogue because the rocket engines Are so Mas Sive they Are manufactured in four Seg ments. The parts arc shipped from thethis Kol Plant in Utah to the Kennedy space Center Here where workers assemble  segment is joined at a scam called a Fields Oil it was a Field joint that failed on  joints used for 25 shuttle flights had a Metal rim called a Tang that fit into a Dee Metal Groove called a clevis. On one Side of the clevis were two of ring seals made of rubberized material. The clevis and Tang were held together by  showed that when the rocket Booster fired generating about 900 pounds of internal pressure the thick sled Booster casing ballooned out slightly an action called  this caused the clevis an Tang to separate slightly preventing the o rings from  of rings also Are less Likely to Seal if the rubberized material is made hard by col temperatures. Challenger was bunched after soaking in freezing temperatures overnight. The ballooning Oul problem was corrected tempted ? rocket manufacturer Morton Thio Kolin. By a new joint that added a Metal lip called Anasa plans to use the redesigned rockets in ulan already had started a Low key Effort rap in. Fatu to Lang. This joint n on v until a new one is built. Development to redesign the flawed rocket. Sem Bucsa handshake with the new thumb .1 i.  Iii _. I it. Dial Man Lu-u1.rfn.h Iva 1llflt cnll/1 mrs rat a.