European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes sunday August 13,1989 shuttle Crew ready to land today Cape canaveral Fla. A the Columbia s astronauts closed Down experiments and checked flight control systems As they prepared to end their secret military Mission with a Landing in the California desert today. Commander brew Star Shaw and Pilot Richard Richards were running through a series of tests to make certain the shuttle s computers and control jets were ready for the return to Earth. Mission specialists David acc Soma James Adamson and Mark brawn were packing up the experiments some or which were believed to be connected with the Star wars missile defense project. Others tested the astronauts capabilities As military observers in space. The National aeronautics and space administration broke the official silence on the Mission saturday to announce that the Columbia would land at 9 37 . Today in the Miave desert at Edwards fab calif., after a night of five Days one hour. Earlier it had said Only that Landing would take place Between 9 . And noon. The Crew is doing Well and is beginning Landing preparations a statement said. The weather forecast called for Excel Lent Landing conditions at Edwards with partly Cloudy skies and temperatures expected from 68 just after Sunrise to a midday High of 97 degrees. The air Force base which has been Host to As Many As half a million people for shuttle landings will be closed to the Public sunday because of the military nature of the flight. The news blackout was imposed by the defense department which wants to keep the flight s goals a secret. But air Force Secretary Donald b. Rice reported wednesday that a satellite was deployed by the astronauts during their first Day in orbit tuesday. Rice was silent about the satellite s purpose but it is widely believed to be a 10-ton spy satellite designed to take very detailed photographs of military targets Over a wide area of the Globe including most of the soviet Union. It would help the United states verify soviet compliance with arms agreements. The Crew of five military officers also reportedly monitored military tactical and strategic targets on Earth. Group protests mock trial on Ramstein crash by Deedee Arringto Doke Kalser lantern Bureau Ramstein West Germany hoisting a West Ger Man Flag about 125 demonstrators marched saturday in protest of today s mock trial that will assess blame for the Ramstein air show disaster last year. The counter demonstrators outnumbered onlookers when the procession through Ramstein s main Street wound up at the City marketplace. Against a backdrop of signs that compared the mock trial to so called people s courts of the nazi Era four speak ers including Ramstein mayor Julius Duvivier delivered impassioned talks against the tribunal to be staged by leftist groups. The 75-minute demonstration was sponsored by the Junge Union the youth Branch of the conservative Chris Tian democratic Union. Fire fell from the sky on aug. 28, 1988," Devivie recalled in his speech. Whoever witnessed this disaster. Can Only lower his head in sorrow and grief. And he will agree with our demand there must never again be a plug tag air show on Ramstein air  however Duvivier added disasters like this one should bring the people together and not Divide  we do not need is an Alliance of communists greens and socialists who act with an unbelievable arrogance. And we do not need tribunals that judge people today without sanctions but tomorrow probably with  the president of the Union s chapter in West Germany s state of Rheinland Pfalz criticized the leftist groups for failing to remember the 28th anniversary of the Berlin Wall also occurs today. It is a shame when communists Are suppressing people there that they do this the mock trial Here on this Day Stefan Schwarz said. He said it was wrong for trial participants to misuse the feelings of the disaster s victims and their families for left Wing political  among the political groups involved in staging the 1 30 . Mock trial Are the greens the German communist party and several other groups that oppose Low level Mili tary flying. The trial will be held in front of the Ramstein City Hall. In two court actions last week organizers lost their bid to stage the event in a City owned Community Center. Seventy people were killed and hundreds were injured after an Aerial demonstration by an italian air Force stunt flying team went awry and a plane crashed near a crowd of spectators during the annual Ramstein air show last aug. 28. Search from Page 1 angry criticism on Friday of the Rescue Effort. Following reassurances from president Bush and others later on Friday she said that the staff is con Vinced that a commitment and sense of urgency arc now operating at All Levels. We arc tremendously gratified by  Newsom had said earlier on Friday that we have seen motion we have seen some action but we have also seen a lot of  she added we could have and should have located them by  however on saturday she said "1 was somewhat astounded and not a Little distressed that some had interpreted my remarks yesterday As being anti Mili tary anti our men and women in the military. Noth ing could be further from the truth. We All believe that. When the . Armed forces come to the Rescue sism Ipi one of the sos signals was heard coming from near Goba and cure South of the capital City Addis Ababa. They have no  said that while . Authorities have Permis Sion to operate in the skies Over Sudan the Mai search Effort will continue to be focused inside Ethiopia for the time being. Certainly it is possible Theair plane proceeded into Sudan and we will be exploring that in due course he  now he said . Planes have used techniques that would give a so percent probability of detection in the primary search area. We re Chang ing now to a much slower and deliberate Mode which should give us an 80-90 percent capability of Detec  he  four Black Hawk helicopters ferried Over the Atlantic from Eglin fab Fla., arc equipped with in Fra Rcd devices and Crews trained in night vision mis Sions but regular night flights Likely won t begin until monday if the weather allows and Relief Crews Are available he  it is the choppers Are flying throughout the Day Light hours with midair refuelling by the c-130s, he  thursday Hopes were raised when satellites monitored two weak signals believed to be distress signals from the plane s emergency Beacon. But Bloyer explained that the ground station in India that interpreted the data is on the very fringes of the ability to decipher the signals  electronic gear on Low flying . Planes found no signals at either of the two locations. Also no Trace of the plane was found by thousands of ethiopian troops which combed the two Sites on foot he said news Brief syrian Christian Duel in Beirut area kills 12 Beirut Lebanon a syrian and Chris Tian gunners locked in one of their fiercest Bat Les in months pummelled the Beirut area sat urday in an Exchange that reportedly left at least 12 people dead and 48 wounded. Smoke from shells and fires in nearby Hills Hung like a funeral shroud Over the City. Five months of such duels have prompted All but about 200,000 of Beirut s 1.5 million residents to flee. Police said at least 12 people were killed and 48 wounded in saturday s fighting Between Gen. Michel Aoun s 20,000 predominantly Christian troops and 40,000 syrian soldiers and their mos Lem militia allies. More than 40 have died in the past two Days bringing the toll since March 8 to 598 killed and 1,562 wounded according to Security sources. Hostages from Page 1 the hostages Are believed to be held. In Washington White House spokes Man Marlin Fitzwater said president Bush is pursuing the release of the hostages with patience and determination through diplomatic channels but he added that there was nothing new to report. We think we d like to lower our voices and let the issues play out Fitzwater said. There s no change in the situation. We Are having a number of diplomatic contacts through appropriate  Fadlallah said the kidnappers still de Mand that Israel release about 450 Arab prisoners including a Hezbollah cleric. He also criticized the United states for massing warships in the Mediterranean after the july 31 announcement of the hanging of hostage Marine it. Col. William Higgins. Why is America massing All these fleets in the Mediterranean and Iran s sea he said. Is it because they have hostages they should not forget that we also have captives.". He said America s mobilization of fleets is a preparation for a coordinated military action Between America and is Rael against Hezbollah bases in the Region. Several moslem fundamentalist groups linked to Hezbollah Are believed to be holding 16 Western hostages including eight americans in Beirut s Southern suburbs or around the Eastern City of Baalbek. Another religious Leader in Hezbollah was quoted Friday As say ing the release of shiite moslem Dene Sheik Abdel Karim Obeid abducted july 28 by israeli commandos could pave the Way for a prisoner Swap Sheik Abbas Almusawi in an inter View published by Hezbollah s weekly newspaper Al and said the Organiza Tion of the oppressed on Earth believed to be an offshoot of Hezbollah killed Higgins because it held the United states responsible for Israel s actions in abduct ing Obeid. The goal of the operation Kidnap Ping Obeid is an israeli american one and that is Why two demands were put Forward the israeli captives and the hos tages he said. Muslawi said that the alleged . Rolein seizing the Sheik prompted the captors to strike a blow to the Mastermind . " by killing an american hostage. Israel said it seized Obeid from his Home in Southern Lebanon in Hopes of exchanging him for three israeli soldiers captured in Southern Lebanon and held by moslem fundamentalists. The revolutionary Justice Organiza Tion also thought linked to Hezbollah sunday offered to release another Ameri can hostage Joseph Cicippio if Israel freed Obeid and the 450 prisoners