European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday june 12, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3there s no scud this time a lots of patriots a fireworks extravaganza that Simu Latch a Patriot rocket knocking a scud missile out of the ski capped a Welcome Home Celebration for persian Gulf War veterans on  festivities included the biggest ticker tape Parade in new Yorkus history. About a million people witnessed the $1 million display Over the East  see my eyes they be got tears in them a said Walter Dowd 62, a korean War Veteran from Colts neck n.j., who watched the fireworks. A at the display desert Storin veterans were treated like movie stars and besieged with autograph re tests. A a we be been asked to sign everything chests legs arms Heads a a said sgt. Rene Garcia 23. Pfc. Joseph Mcneice 23, was surrounded by seven teen age girls who handed him roses quizzed him about his love life and begged to touch his Buzz Cut a i love this a he  chief finds kuwaiti fires almost sickening Washington up the Oil Field fires lit by iraqi troops in Kuwait Are a almost literally sickening a but the immediate health Impact of the Smoky blazes appears surprisingly Light Epa administrator William Reilly says. The director of the environmental Protection Agency said monday that he has never seen such concentrated environmental damage in any one Region including Eastern Europe a a if hell had a National Park it would be those burning Oil fires Quot Reilly said. A seeing it up close smelling it being surrounded by itis almost literally a sickening  but while hundreds of the fires continue to Burn Reilly said Kuwa Aiti hospitals had not reported any big increases in admissions for treatment of breathing problems. He added that . Troops in Kuwait were Well protected from Adverse effects because the main american base was upwind from the fires. Reilly said the smoke posed a danger to the elderly and those suffering from Respirator illness. But he said air monitoring had not detected any High concentrations of toxic gases that could Quot threaten a healthy adult. V he also acknowledged that the situation could Worsen this summer when winds die Down in the Region. Reilly said Epa experts were somewhat surprised that they were not finding higher Levels of toxic metals in soot particles Given the composition of the burning Oil. He said there was speculation that unknown chemical reactions occurring above the fires were neutralizing some toxins. But Reilly cautioned that much More monitoring data were needed before experts could Rule out any potential Lon term health effects. The Epa chief said his Agency was Rushing More sophisticated monitoring equipment to Kuwait to help evaluate to a Tennial health risks. Franics and Black smoke pour from a kuwaiti Well known As a Hollywood fighters have been unable to extinguish the Oil Blaze. Apr where fire. \ a x / senses c a. G a ,. -1. Affine feathered stamp the . Postal service has announced it will Issue a 30-cent stamp june 22 at Aurora colo., in conjunction with a stamp show. The stamp designed by Robert Giusti of new Milford conn., shows a close up of a male Cardinal. Cape canaveral Ela. Up1 the Columbia astronauts worked through a Light Day in orbit tuesday with scientists already calling their flight a major sue Cess. Y. A a a a a your Mission has been so Good thus far , if we terminated tuesday and came Home. I would be Able to report that we have had a very Strong and successful Mission a said program scientist Ron White. A we certainly expect three More fully productive days.�?�. With the 41st shuttle Mission winding Down toward a Friday Landing Columbia s Fourman. Three woman Crew has collected More data than had been expected Tor the first half of the nine Day flight. But the 16-hour Days prompted commander Bryan o Connor to ask flight controllers to schedule some free time during the remainder of the flight it allow his Crew to a take a break and then go get their work  _ he said the astronauts Quot were pretty tired Quot asking Mission control to a give them a break to give them a Chance to. Lookout the windows and see their hometowns and enjoy being in space a Little  flight controllers and scientists supporting the Crew s medical research quickly agreed to do just that sending up a revised flight plan with blocks of time set aside Lor passes Over the United states. O Connor 44 co Pilot Sidney Gutierrez 39.tamara Jernigan 32 James Bagian 39 Margaret Rhea sed Don 43 Andrew a a Drew Gaffney 45 and Millie i Lughes Fulford 45, Are conducting a Battery of expert merits to learn More about How the body adapts to weightlessness. Y joining the astronauts aboard Columbia Are 29 rats and some 2,500 baby jellyfish. The jellyfish w hich use motion sensors similar to structures in the human inner ear will be studied after the flight to find out How weightlessness affects their development and ability to move about. The goal of the Mission the first including three women and the first dedicated entirely to biomedical research is to gather data about How the human body adapts to weightlessness so countermeasures can be devised to combat space sickness muscle reconditioning and Bone loss. Such data is required before astronauts can be cleared for. Long duration stays aboard nasal a planned space station or Tor eventual Multi year flights to Mars and beyond. So far the Columbia astronauts Are living up to expectations. Throughout the flight the astronauts have been collecting blood urine and saliva samples studying each other s hearts measuring lung performance and blood flow and subjecting themselves to disorienting rides in a spinning chair to learn More about the causes of space sickness. A a. A if All goes Well Columbia will Glide to a Landing Fri Day at Edwards fab. Calit., to close out a nine Day Mission