European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes sunday december 1, 1991 astronauts View better than expected improved optics urged for Pentagon missions _ 1. A it iral fico Larter Cape canaveral Fla. A Atlantis space scouts said Friday that they can see ships planes and other military targets surprisingly Well from orbit although better optics could improve their vision. A a in a surprised at what i can see More than what i expected to a astronaut Mario Runco or. Said during a news conference. Despite such technical limitations and fickle weather astronauts easily could serve the military in space Runco said. Runco said the Crew has been Able to pick out Large ships and air planes with the High powered cameras and binoculars supplied by the Pentagon. Quot whether i can identify those ships As particular types or air planes i Haven to been Able to do mainly because the imagery in a getting is kind of at the limit of its Resolution a Runco told reporters. Quot the observations we have made so far have been quite remarkable in terms of what we be accomplished in the past a Runco said. A they still have a Long Way to go however in terms of the equipment we use and what can be available on the shuttle or some future space  earlier Friday As part of the space surveillance test the astronauts peered through Clouds at ships and other military Craft in Cuba Australia and Florida. The two veterans aboard the shuttle said they have never seen so much Haze from orbit. A the atmosphere is much hazier now than it was As we remember a said shuttle commander Frederick Gregory. A there Are Many Many More  Gregory and Story Musgrave last flew in space two years ago. Since then mount Pinatubo in the Philippines has erupted and spewed gases and volcanic Ash into the atmosphere. Scientists believe that is causing the increased Haze. Runco a Navy lieutenant commander who is making his first trip in orbit also was struck by the Haze and Clouds. Many of his camera observations have been hampered by the weather. A it seems to be from my perspective a Little bit More Cloudy than i would have thought around the world a Runco said. Runco zoomed in on . Military ships at cubans Guantanamo Bay As Atlantis circled the world for the 76th time just about the Halfway Mark for the Long defense department Mission. The . Naval base there is serving As temporary Home to thousands of haitian refugees. Ground commanders filled Runco in on the weather via radio a partly Cloudy a and gave him the target positions As Atlantis approached. The code name for the site was  Runco had trouble spotting targets at air Force bases in Central Florida and Oahu Hawaii because of Clouds. He had camera problems Over Oahu too a the shutter release jammed. Crewman Thomas Hennen an army surveillance expert also encountered Clouds Over Brisbane Australia. He is using a Telescope to examine unidentified targets 224 Miles below to learn techniques that could boo aged in spying. The Pentagon assigned the observing experiments to the 10-Day flight to see How Well astronauts can spot ships tanks and aircraft from orbit. Simitar exercises were conducted during previous military shuttle missions that were classified. Many of the details surrounding the observing experiments conducted aboard Atlantis Are secret although the shuttle Mission itself is considered unclassified. The six astronauts apparently still were in a Holiday spirit. Moments after awaking Gregory asked Mission control s Marsha Ives about her thanksgiving meal and boasted that the Crew s Turkey dinner had been a spectacular a Over the  firefighters Battle blazes in parched . Area a los Angeles county fire department helicopter dumps 400 Gallons of liquid on a fire in san Fernando Valley above Sylmar Calif. Los Angeles apr firefighters on Friday Bat tied the fifth Blaze to threaten los Angeles area Homes during the week As fierce winds and parched Brush produced extreme fire danger two months into a very dry Rainy season. Authorities posted a a red Flag alerts for severe fire danger throughout los Angeles county As winds intensified during the afternoon said Jason Nuesca a county fire dispatcher. Similar alerts were already in effect to the East in san Bernardino county. Where 60 Mph winds and 15 percent humidity were forecast a and in most of Southern California s National forests state and county Parks and other wild lands. High wind warnings or advisories were issued in several areas. The fresh memory of the oct. 20 firestorm in the Oakland Hills in the Bay area made firefighters and residents particularly nervous. That disaster which remains under investigation killed 25 people destroyed More than 3,000 Homes and caused $1.5 billion in damage. There were no immediate reports of injuries As 600 firefighters bulldozers and water dropping helicopters struggled to encircle the Brush fire set by careless campers thursday night. The fire raged in the May Canyon area near the Sylmar Section of los Angeles about 23 mites Northwest of downtown. The Blaze was 60 percent contained by Friday morning As winds briefly subsided. Winds later gusted to 70 Mph. But by late afternoon All hot spots were out and officials said the Blaze might be extinguished before it was fully contained. The Blaze was caused by an abandoned campfire on county land that Wasny to designated for camping said Forest service spokeswoman Denise Rains. The campers Hadnot been located Rains said. She said flames approached within 100 feet of some residences which were spared because they did no to have Wood shingles and because Brush around them had been cleared previously. A not everybody lives up to requirements to remove Brush from their property said county fire department spokesman Clark Pearson. A these people did. It probably had a lot to do with saving their  California appears to be entering its sixth year of drought. Southern californians Rainy season which officially started oct. 1, has been very dry. A technically the fire season is Over a Pearson said. A however we be had bad fires in  in other blazes that threatened Homes fast week a about 100 people were evacuated As a 737-acre Brush fire also in Sylmar destroyed a Honor trader Bam Corral and some vehicles monday. The fire was controlled by tuesday night As Gusty Wuu a subsided. Its cause remained under investigation Friday. A about 100 residents who live near the Boundary of Pasadena Glendale and la Canada Flintridge evacuated their expensive Rose bowl area Homes thanksgiving morning As firefighters battled a 10-acre Blaze. No Homes were damaged but at least two firefighters suffered minor injuries. The cause was unknown. A a dozen Hillside Homes were threatened by a 35-acre arson fire in a thousand Oaks Canyon about 30 Miles West Northwest of downtown los Angeles. About 100 Ventura county firefighters controlled that Blaze thursday evening. The arson Blaze was under investigation county fire department spokeswoman Sam Meier said Friday. A also on thanksgiving a fire smaller than one acre briefly threatened some Hillside Homes in South Pasadena before the flames were extinguished. A downed Power line sparked the Blaze authorities said. . Officers kill Man 28, in disputed Watts shooting by the los Angeles times los Angeles a 28-Ycar-old Watts housing project resident was fatally shot Friday by los Angeles police officers after allegedly exchanging gunfire with officers. Afterwards More than 11 0 angry residents gathered at the scene refusing to disperse and complaining that the shooting was unwarranted. Details of the shooting shortly after 6  were sketchy. The dead Man was identified As Henry Pico. Lapdis it. William Hall said there was a Power outage in the City run Imperial courts housing project followed by reports of gunfire. When officers arrived Hall said they exchanged fire with suspects armed with assault rifles. Police alleged that Pico was one of the gunmen who fired at police a a Point strongly disputed by residents of the project. Hall said that a second suspect May have been wounded by officers but police were unable to locate that gunman late Friday. After the shooting dozens of police were summoned to the project to control the crowd who poured into the streets. Late Friday smaller crowds were Stilt milling about As investigators went Over the scene and Coroner officials removed the body. Paper probably won t print and that questions holocaust Austin Texas a the Board that oversees the student newspaper at the University of Texas Likely will change the publications advertising policy to bar an and that questions the holocaust a Board member said. Quot my guess is we wont run the add said Martin Gibson a journalism professor and member of the Texas student publications Board. The 11-member panel fell one vote Short tuesday of overriding a review committees decision to run the and but agreed to postpone its publication until Spring. The full Page and was requested by Bradley Smith Leader of the committee for open debate on the holocaust. Student jewish leaders said the group is linked to anti semitic and White supremacist organizations. It reads a the figure of 6 million jewish deaths is an irresponsible exaggeration. No execution Gas Chambers existed in Europe which was under German  the and was sent to student newspapers around the country it was accepted by student newspapers at Cornell Duke and Michigan. It w1s rejected by newspapers at Harvard Yale Pennsylvania and Wisconsin