European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday october 13, 198b the stalls and stripes Paga 7 Mission gets picture perfect rating space Effort in Fop shape afro Laufs say space Center Houston a discovery s five astronaut on tuesday praised the shuttle thai put americans Bach in space and said the picture perfect Mission should Clear any doubts about Nasa s manned space flight program. The Crew members talking to reporters Al the John son space Center for the first Lime since their Mission ended oct. 3, said the nearly flawless four Day flight reflected Nasa s efforts to redesign the space shuttle after the challenger explosion Jan 28, 1936. I Don t think we have any ghosts hovering above us anymore discovery commander Frederick Hauck said. Hauck a Navy Captain who said the historic discovery flight would be his last said the Mission was a boost for Nasa and the nation. I m stud to say the Mission was As big a Success As it was he said. The machine was absolutely Superb in its performance and cleanliness. The vehicle Felt very the most anxious moments of the Light came Dur ing the shuttle s liftoff sept. 29 from Cape canaveral fla., Pilot Richard Covey said. It was a very very Long t it minutes to main engine cutoff. I think we All fell that Way he said. The challenger explosion which occurred 73 seconds after liftoff and killed All seven astronauts aboard was blamed on a faulty Booster Racket. The rockets were redesigned and Nasa officials have found no damage with the new boosters that thrust discovery into orbit no matter How Many limes you ride those rockets you re always a bit taken Back by their Power Covey said. Obviously the first part of the flight the ride on the solid rocket boosters was a very critical one for this but Covey who flew the same shuttle on a previous Mission said that despite All the modifications there were few surprises and the Mission was really a very clean flight As far As discovery during the Mission Hauck Covey and astronauts John m. Lounge David c. Hilmers and George a Pinky Nelson deployed a $ 100 million communications satellite tested systems on the orbiter and con ducted ii experiments before Landing at Edwards fab Calif. Although a detailed account of the Mission showed a few minor problems including trouble with a Cool ing system the Only complaint the astronauts had tuesday concerned the Bulky pressure suits worn Dur ing launch and Landing. While watching a 20-Minulc film about the flight that included shots of the astronauts getting into the discovery commander Frederick i Lauck right begins a news conference in Houston tuesday. Other Crew members Are from left Pilot Richard Covey and astronauts David c. Ill my John lounge and George Pinky Nelson. 73-Pound suits before Landing Nelson said it hurts just to watch it Nelson said although the suits part of a new escape system Are pretty uncomfortable he added that a few modifications such As a belter fan and a less Bulky harness could improve them for future astronauts. An explosive Hatch and a telescoping pole also Are part of the new escape system which can be used Dur ing certain emergencies but would not have saved the challenger Crew. The astronauts would bail out of the Hatch and slide Down the pole in their Orange suits which Are equipped with parachutes floating devices and radio gear. The film included shots of the astronauts twirling around in Microni Wavily playing with their food during meal times and even clowning around in hawaiian print shins Bui it also showed them working on various experiments and deploying the tracking and data relay satellite along with some magnificent shots of Earth. During the Mission discovery s Crew members broadcast an emotional message in memory of the seven challenger astronauts while a camera on the shuttle showed a View of the Earth. Hilmers who came up with the memorial said he wanted those on the ground to Sec the pictures of Earth to help understand Why others want to travel in space. I thought at that time we were really linked closely together he said. I fell a lot closer to the challenger victims then than maybe Ever before. We really wanted to show the world thai we were standing up there for them and their sacrifice was t in lawyers say North can t be prosecuted for lying Washington a defense Law yers say Oliver l. North cannot be prosecuted for lying to Congress because the former presidential aide was never warned thai making misleading statements about Covert operations was a crime. Citing false statements by government officials about other Covert operations. North s defense lawyers contended tues Day that Iran Centra prosecutors were bringing novel charges against their client. The defense said that until North s indictment March 16 with three other Iran Contra defendants no executive Branch official had Ever been prosecuted based on unworn Stati Meius to con North did not receive a fair warning that an executive Branch official or a member of his Staft would be guilty of a crime if the truth were misstated in an unworn communication to Congress the defense said. The defense filed a series of motions to dismiss various charges that North a former National Security Council aide misled House committees in 1985 and 1986 by denying involvement in efforts to Arm the contras or raise Money for the rebels fighting Nicaragua s Sandinia la government. The defense noted that none of the statements made by North were under oath including remarks he made during an informal off the record discussion with members of the House permanent select committee on intelligence in 1986 in the White House situation room. The other statements were written responses to queries made by various House committees about reports of Cov Ert assistance to the nicaraguan rebels. An indictment returned last March charges North former National Security adviser John m. Poindexter and arms dealers Albert Hakim and retired air Force maj. Gen. Richard a Accord with conspiring to defraud the government by diverting arms Sale profits to the contras. . District judge Gerhard a Gesull has ordered separate trials for each defendant. North is set to be tried first but no Date has been set for the trial North s lawyers noted that there was no prosecution of Secretary of state John Foster Dulles for falsely assuring Law makers in 1958 thai the government was not intervening in Indonesia even though the Cia was supporting rebels fighting president Sukarno. Likewise the defense said there were no prosecutions arising from false statements by the state department after a u-2 spy plane was shot Down Over the soviet Union in 1960, there May be disagreement Aslo whether or to what extent it is proper for government officials to misstate or con ceal the truth where a truthful statement would jeopardize intelligence gathering or Covert operations or otherwise com Promise National Security North s Law yers said. Until this Case however there was no notion Ihal such a false or misleading statement could be criminal simply be cause the statement was made directly or indirectly to a member of Congress the defense said Man cleared of rape charges will sue Brawley f1shkill. . A a prosecutor said tues Day he will file suit against a Black teen Ager and her three advisers who falsely accused him of involvement in an alleged sexual assault against her. Steven Pagonis a dutchess county assistant District attorney was cleared by a grand jury of accusations he sexually attacked Tawana Frawley 16, formerly of nearby Wapp ingers Falls. The grand jury concluded Brawley made up the Story she was attacked by six while men last year. The girl s advisers without offering evidence had accused Pagones of being one of the attackers. Pagonis said lawyers arc preparing a lawsuit that will do filed within a month against Brawley the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorneys c. Vemon Mason and Alton Maddox or. Pagones had harsh words for Brawley s advisers calling their verbal attacks blatant disgusting and deplorable lies Brawley who never cooperated with the grand jury during its seven month investigation was found in Wapp ingers Falls last nov. 28 smeared with dog pc pcs and with racial slurs scrawled on her body. Wapp ingers Falls is about 70 mites North of new York City. Pagones announced the lawsuit Al a news conference that Sharp Lon tried to interrupt by shouting through a hotel doorway i m Here Pagonis. Your accuser s Here. Why Don t you give me the papers a hotel employee closed the door on Sharpton and held it closed for the rest of the news conference. Pagonis would not say How much the lawsuit would be for Only that it would be millions of
