European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 16, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 5 glitch linked to Patriot failure tired computer May have led to scud deaths i a the Patriot into a Barracks housing . Servicemen much As two weeks before the attack that More than several Washington a the Patriot missile the High tech Star of the persian Gulf War might have averted its most costly failure if its operators had used a Low tech tactic a periodic rest for the missile systems computer army documents show. The army credits the Patriot with shooting Down nearly every iraqi fired scud missile that threatened . Or Allied positions in saudi Arabia and Israel. But the patriots biggest failure came feb. 25 when it allowed a scud to Fly unchallenged into saudi Arabia and slam into a Barracks housing . Servicemen Bers. The attack killed 28 service members and wounded 98. It was the most devastating single iraqi attack during the War in which 148 americans were killed in action and 467 were wounded. Army investigators concluded that the exact reason for the patriots failure to shoot at the scud will never be known for sure. But they said the most Likely explanation was a previously unknown glitch in the patriots computer software. Army technicians had determined As much As two weeks before the attack that the Patriot computer had a tendency to lose track of incoming scuds when the computer was kept running for Long periods according to internal army reports released in response to a Freedom of information act request by the associated press. Tragically no Alert bulletins were sent to Patriot operators in the Field because the technicians viewed this As a minor problem of less importance than other Patriot improvements they were working on. The technicians did not think Patriot computers would be kept running for More than several hours at a time. As it happened the scud fell into the coverage area of a Patriot unit a Alpha Btry of the 11th air defense arty brigade a that had been running its computer for 100 consecutive hours according to an internal army memo dated june 14. Usually the Patriot computers were shut off briefly after running for several hours but operators did not understand then that not shutting Down could Hurt the computers ability to make High Spetz calculations of an incoming missiles flight  could shift to Small satellites by the new York times Washington a instead of launching a few giant satellites in a major program to study the Earth a environment the space Agency is considering using numerous smaller spacecraft the Agency a chief scientist said wednesday. The official or. Lennard a. Fisk the National aeronautics and space administrations associate administrator for space science said the change would give the project More flexibility and Assurance against catastrophic failure. He said the Agency was studying whether to Divide the experiments that had been planned for six Large Complex Earth observing system satellites among As Many As 18 smaller spacecraft flying in similar orbits. Reducing the size of the satellites had been suggested by critics concerned about putting too Many experiments on a few vehicles. The reduction would depend upon developing a new version of the Atlas rocket that earlier was a Workhorse for the space program Fisk said. The air Force is interested in developing the new Atlas a liquid fuelled rocket that would have solid fuel rocket boosters attached to its first stage and launching the rockets from the West coast he said. The Earth observing system designed to study the Earth a environment and the effects of human activity on the Worms climate would be the biggest space science project Ever  the Days Kathleen Dalton and Mark Mcculloch journalism students at Bostons Emerson College and members of the free Terry Anderson committee erect a sign wednes Day in the City showing How Long the associated press correspondent has been held hostage. Anderson was kidnapped March 16,1985, in Beirut Lebanon. In the stars and stripes 10years ago aug. 16,1981 a helicopters sprayed 81 Square Miles of California s Central Valley with insecticide in a major offensive against the Mediterranean fruit Fly which threatened the state s $14 billion farming industry.20 years ago aug. 16,1971 a claiming that Syria was gathering troops and tanks along Jordan a Northern Border King Hussein ordered a counter-buildup.30 years ago aug. 16,1961 a East Germany threatened a new blockade of Berlin if West Germany took economic measures against it. West Germany had been pressing for economic sanctions As a reprisal against the East s harsh measures to halt refugees fleeing to West Berlin.40 years ago aug. 16,1951 in the first outbreak of violence during the 11 Day old communist youth rally in Berlin 6,000 Young people invaded West Berlin and fought hand to hand Battles with West Berlin police. Judge gives Rocky Flats 2-year limit Denver a the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons Plant faces closure unless it gets a permit for hazardous waste illegally stored at the site a Federal judge has ruled. The department of Energy is pleased with the ruling however because it gives officials two years to comply with waste storage rules Agency spokeswoman Beth Brainard said wednesday. Tuesdays ruling came in response to a 1989 lawsuit filed by the Sierra club. The environmental group had asked for an immediate shutdown of the facility. . District judge Lewis t. Babcock found the department of Energy in violation of Federal hazardous waste Laws for storing without a permit nearly 600 cubic Yards of mixed wastes at the Plant 16 Miles Northwest of Denver. Babcock said the department will have to close the Plant if it cannot meet the two year deadline for obtaining the required permit. However the department could seek an exception if it can show the court that continued operations Are crucial to . Defense interests Babcock said. The departments a ongoing disregard for the permit process a has been flagrant a Babcock said. A therefore i conclude that nothing less than the threat of shutdown on noncompliance with this order will effectively enforce the requirement that Doe obtain a permit for the illegally stored wastes he said. The plutonium waste is a byproduct of the plants production of detonators for nuclear weapons. It is the Only . Facility that makes the devices. The Plant is unable to dispose of the waste because the Federal government has not yet approved an appropriate waste site for it officials say. A the judge gives us two years to get in with compliance which is consistent with our plans a Brainard said. Energy Secretary James Watkins ordered a halt to plutonium reprocessing operations at Rocky Flats in 1989 because of safety concerns. Officials Are considering reopening it later this year. A Sierra club intends to continue to seek full compliance with hazardous waste Laws at Rocky Flats a said Eugene Demayo chairman of the groups local chapter. A the fact remains that Rocky Flats is not ready for  Navy May be forced to reopen sub bids Newport news a. A the Navy acting under protest said wednesday that it May reopen bidding for the disputed second sea Wolf nuclear submarine contract. In a response to a july 31 Federal court order the Navy said wednesday that if it loses its Appeal it would accept new bids from the nations two nuclear submarine shipyards. But in a move that runs counter to the order the Navy said it would continue to use Price As the chief Factor in choosing a Winner. The Navy documents were filed in Newport news Federal court two weeks after . District judge Robert Doumar in Norfolk va., threw out the May 3 award of the second sea Wolf contract to the electric boat division of general dynamics corp. In Groton Conn. Doumar agreed with electric boats archrival the Newport news shipbuilding amp dry Dock co., which said it had been unfairly denied the contract. Electric boat and Newport news Are the Only Yards that build nuclear submarines. Newport news also builds aircraft carriers and other surface warships. Doumar said the Navy placed too much emphasis on Price and not enough on the goal of keeping two shipyards in the submarine building business. He said that with electric boat already building the first sea Wolf the award of the second to electric boat effectively Cut Newport news out of the next generation of nuclear powered attack submarines