European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes a a a Page 3 31 him lit d m of in Jim Iseo non in Ani Asa urged to buy another space shuttle to Washington apr Nasa Louid buy at least one More space shut because there a a 50-50 Chance a Craft ii be lost in the next several years a Gressional report suggested fonday. A new shuttle like the one being built replace the destroyed challenger uld Cost $2 billion to $2.5 billion. The office of technology assessment to said nasal a goal of 14 launches a r poses increased risks to astronauts d that the schedule could be limited a regular sustainable rate of eight to launches by limiting flights to pay is requiring human Crews. A the actual reliability of the shuttle Tern is unknown but May lie Between percent and 99 percent a the report a if reliability is 98 percent the rain faces a 50-50 Chance of losing additional orbiter in the next 34  the challenger explosion in 1986, Ich killed seven Crew members Hap Ned on the 25th shuttle flight there Veblen 10 missions since. I the loss of challenger left three shut is in the Nasa Fleet discovery Atlan and Columbia. A new shuttle to be tiled endeavour will be finished next a and begin flying in 1992. Ota a congressional advisory group lid in its report that the nation can Lake do with existing launch systems Itil the next Century if it follows the i rent course of steady growth in civilian and military space activities. But if the United states wants a per lid report says . Lacks Clear space travel plan Washington up a the United states must plan a More specific Chart for the future of the space program before making major decisions about building new types of spacecraft a report concluded Friday. A a National dialogue is urgently needed to establish the future course of the publicly supported space program and to outline the preferred Means of accomplishing the program goals a said the office of technology assessment report a Access to space the future of . Space transportation  a the Lack of a Clear course for . Space activities makes the scale and character of future demand for space transportation highly Uncertain a the 92-Page report states. A it is not sensible to choose among space transportation options without first selecting the specific goals to be  Congress must choose among a variety of options in deciding which space programs to fund including building new spacecraft or upgrading existing vehicles the report said. Manent lunar base missions to Mars or a space based defense system the report said it should be prepared to spend $10 billion to $20 billion in development costs alone for new launch systems. A because the nation cannot afford to invest in All the Good ideas proposed for improved or new launch systems Congress and the administration will have to choose from a wide Range of options a the report said. A some choices must be made in the next two to three years. Others can wait  the most immediate choices Are making improvements in expendable rockets that Are based on 1950s and �?T60s designs limiting shuttle flights buying More or biters and paying for shuttle improvement programs. Nasa is improving the shuttles main engines has begun a program to build More reliable higher capacity advanced solid rocket motors and is installing new computers More tolerant than the ones built in the 1970s. The report also said email sales decreased 0.6% n april government reports Washington apr the com Lecce department said Friday that retail a a ties slumped 0.6 percent in april posting he second consecutive monthly decline and the biggest setback in six months. Sales fell by $907 million last month to a Iason ally adjusted $ 148.64 billion. The april decrease was a disappointment o economists who had been looking for a Imail rebound following a 0.2 percent define in March and no change in february. Since consumer spending accounts for two thirds of total economic activity continued weakness in retail sales was Likely to intensify concerns about the country Stu iture economic prospects especially in Light of last weeks report that unemployment climbed in april to 5.4 percent. Growing joblessness could promote Wor Sines among Consumers about the future causing them to shut off spending especially for big ticket items such As autos. The 0.6 percent april decline was the largest since a 1.4 percent plunge last octo Iber. The Back to Back declines in March and april marked the first time that has occurred in More than three years. Originally the government reported that february posted a sales decline As Well but sales activity during that month was revised in the report to show no change. For april the biggest drag on activity came from Auto sales which dropped 2.7 percent. It marked the sixth time in the last seven months that car sales have fallen. Without the big drop in Auto sales total retail sales would have been unchanged last month. Sales at general department stores were off 0.7 percent in april following an even bigger 1.2 percent drop in March. A Survey focusing Only on the country a largest Chain department stores showed sales had generally rebounded in april when compared to a year ago boosted by late easter shopping. Sales at hardware and building Supply stores dropped 2.6 percent in april following an 0.8 percent decrease the previous month. There was Basic weakness across the Board. Sales at gasoline stations fell by 1 percent restaurant sales were off by 0.2 percent and sales at speciality clothing stores were Down 1.9 percent. Retail sales seasonally adjusted. Billions of dollars my Jason Juma 1m9 1090 apr. 89 mar. 90 apr. �?~90 $143.7 $149.51 $148.6 a graphic a the risk to the shuttle Fleet would be reduced by developing a heavy lift launch system known As shuttle a that would replace the orbiter with a cargo Container. Nasa estimates the shuttle a will Cost $1.1 billion plus $400 million for each launch. A Congress should decide whether to develop a Rescue vehicle for astronauts aboard the space station that will be in orbit late in the decade the report said. It would Cost $ i billion to $2 billion. Quot to decide whether a risk reducing Effort is Worth the investment required. Congress must be advised about How much the investment would reduce the risk a Ota said. A even if an alternate Crew return vehicle were built and worked As planned it would not eliminate All risks to station Crew  a for the Long haul. Congress should look to developing two new launch systems a personnel Carrier launch system that would carry Little cargo and be launched atop an expendable rocket and a larger More advanced manned launch system using a reusable vehicle. Ota said that work on those systems would be cheaper than building an aerospace plane that would take off like an air plane from a conventional runway. Technology for such a plane is being developed jointly by Nasa and the air Force. A full Tysl vehicle Ota said May Cost More than $5 billion. The Ota report was one of a series entitled a Access to  writers defense of Breslin raises another outcry new York apr new Day is in an uproar again after a columnist defended fellow writer Jimmy Breslin a suspended for slurring a korean Ameri can reporter a and in doing so used what one official claimed was an epithet for irishmen Peter King comptroller of Nassau county demanded that new Day reprimand columnist Robert Reno and order him to apologize for his thursday article Reno tried to defend the columnist by writing Quot Breslin has a pathologically Rotten temper for which All his greatness is no excuse. On the other hand if he Wasny to capable of such mindless offensive and imaginative rages head just be another Windy  the article ran in some editions with the headline a a Lions heart a Donkey s head belong to  a even in the rarefied offices of the new Day editors someone must lie aware that Donkey is a derogatory term Long used against the Irish a King said. He said the term Means stupid and thick headed. A Interior Secretary angers environmentalists Washington apr Manuel # Lujan Secretary of the Interior prompted i outrage from environmentalists Friday by suggesting that the endangered species act be changed to More easily accommodate j some economic development. Lujan had said thursday that concern for endangered squirrels was blocking Stu _ construction of a $200 million Arizona Telescope and the Law protecting the squirrels ought to be re examined. National wildlife federation and wilderness society officials called Lujans j remarks a totally outrageous and said he v demonstrated an a incredible Lack of in Quot  Lujans comments at Mesa verde National Park near Durango colo., where he was attending a National Park foundation banquet were initially reported by the Denver Post. Alluding to Arizona controversy Lujan said a a nobody a told me the difference Between a red Squirrel a Black one or a Brown one. Do we have to save every subspecies a referring to the endangered species act Lujan was quoted As saying in an interview a it is just too Tough. I think. We be got to change  conservationists Are blocking construction of a National science foundation Telescope on arizonans mount Graham because of about 180 endangered red squirrels that live there. Steve Goldstein Lujans press Secretary said in Washington that Lujan had sought Only to Point out some a a frustrations he a had in enforcing the endangered species act. He said Lujan wants Congress to a determine whether it is being implemented correctly and is not suggesting How con Gress should alter the Law. Goldstein said that Lujan believes the Law is being used increasingly a was a last recourse to Stop economic development projects and not specifically to protect endangered species. But Jay hair president of the National wildlife federation called the remarks a totally outrageous Quot because they came from the Cabinet official whose Job is to protect endangered wildlife. Michael Francis of the wilderness society said the remarks a show or. Lujans incredible Lack of understanding of biology and Public  on monday employees of the Bureau of reclamation and the fish and wildlife service told Lujan the Animas la Plata water project in southwestern Colorado  be built because it would threaten endangered Squaw fish. Manuel Lujan