European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 3, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3 shuttle Crew glides to Early touchdown on desert Lake bed Edwards fab Calif. A the space shuttle Atlantis touched Aown on the California desert sunday afternoon with six astronauts ordered Home three Days Early because of a failed navigational unit. It is Only the second time in 44 shuttle flights that Nasa has called a Crew Home Early because of equipment failure. The first was in november 1981 on shuttle trip no. 2 when a fuel cell on Columbia failed. On sunday shuttle commander Frederick Gregory fired the braking rockets Over the Indian Ocean about an hour before touchdown. The firings reduced Atlantis Speed of 17,500 Mph by 242 Mph and sent the orbiter plunging toward Earth. High winds in the Mojave desert prevented Gregory from returning on the first Landing Opportunity Ivy hours or one orbit earlier. The gusts diminished later. Nasa shortened the military Mission to seven Days after the navigational unit failed saturday. The spaceships two other guidance units were working and the Crew was in no danger officials said. Flight rules stipulate that a shuttle should return As soon As possible to Edwards rather than the other Landing Sites when a navigational unit fails. The 44-Square-mile dry Lake bed is considered the safest touchdown spot. About 125 people gathered in 54-degree temperature to watch Atlantis arrive. Flight director Phil Engelauf said the shuttle can Fly a just Fine with two navigational devices called inertial measurement units or Imus. The units Tell on Board computers where the shuttle is and How fast its going. The failed unit was disconnected from the orbiter computer system. Although the device was Able to provide Correct data on the ships orientation it gave the wrong Speed Nasa said a the Only thing that we re protecting Here is the subsequent failure of another Imu which would leave us with Only one a Engelauf said. A so it really Means wed have to have two additional Imus fail on us before we have a real problem with our navigation  the astronauts were not supposed to return to Earth until wednesday after 10 Days in space. Atlantis blasted off on the years last shuttle flight nov. 24, and the Crew dispatched a missile warning satellite for the Pentagon the next Day. Despite the Early return astronaut Story Musgrave managed to set a shuttle flying record. A a we be added up your hours in space and. You be passed 576 hours in space making you the most flown shuttle astronaut a Mission control told Musgrave a four time space flier on saturday night. A Are you sure you can to get us four More Days Here a Musgrave asked. When told that was unlikely Musgrave said a a it a been an incredible experience a Heck of a privilege and in a looking Forward to a lot  the astronauts spent most of the Mission conducting surveillance experiments for the defense department and medical tests for Nasa. They used High powered cameras binoculars and a Telescope to zoom in on . Military ships aircraft and other targets 224 Miles below. They performed an unexpected Job thursday night when they had to avoid part of an old soviet rocket. It was Only the second time in the 10-year-old shuttle program that a spaceship had to Dodge space junk. The first incident occurred 2vi months ago. But Nasa officials attributed the close encounters to Chance not an increase in space litter. The Crew includes four space rookies. They Are Pilot Terence a a Tom Henricks James Voss Mario Runco or. And Thomas Hennen an army imagery  armful of Christmas s4s Dov Cosay Joe Pestana 12, of boy scout troop 64, struggles with a Christmas tree sunday at Rhein main a Germany after wrapping up a Sale to a customer. The Christmas tree sales Are a traditional project for Many scout troops in Europe. Trees Are on Sale at Rhein main for $1 per foot from 9 . To 9 . Daily until  s release ends family s roller coaster ride Norristown a. Up when the phone Call finally came monday after More than five years of waiting Thomas Cicippio broke Down and cried. A . State department official called Cicippio a Home at 4 05 . With news that his brother Joseph had been released by kidnappers in Lebanon. A the first thing ill do is give him a big hug a Cicippio said choking Back tears. A my feeling right now is one of nervousness and very very  Joseph Cicippio 61, was freed monday by his pro iranian kidnappers in Lebanon and headed to Damascus Syria after More than five years in Captivity. A a in a so Happy a a tearful Helen Fazio the freed hostages sister said As she entered Thomas Cicippio a Home. Fazio 71, has cancer and in june was Given Only two months to live. She has said that waiting for her brother a release gave her a something to live  one of the Cilip Pioss siblings 73-year-old Rose Abell died in december 1986, and his family made several pleas through lebanese newspapers for his Freedom. Since his brother was kidnapped sept. 12, 1986, Thomas Cicippio has maintained a sign on his front Fawn noting the number of Days his brother and others have been held hostage in Lebanon. On monday Cicippio erected a new sign on the Lawn. This one said a free at  Joseph Cicippio was abducted two Days after moving with his lebanese wife to a in Beirut Ilham Cicippio toasts news sunday of her husbands expected release. New Home in West Beirut. He was in route from the Home in the Muslim Section to his Job As acting comptroller of the american University of Beirut when he was kidnapped. Since then the Cicippio family maintained a roller coaster Vigil for him their Hopes rising and falling As each new hostage development became news. The Cicippio Are a close knit family. Joseph is one of seven surviving children and it has fallen to Thomas Cicippio 67, the eldest brother and a retired postal worker to be the family spokesman. Joseph Cicippio has six sons and a daughter. His second wife Ilham 34, stayed in Beirut after his abduction working As a Secretary at the . Embassy in the Christian Section of the City. Cicippio was introduced to Ilham by friends in 1984. Before marrying in 1985, Cicippio raised a roman Catholic converted to islam. His son David 31, said he has been told that Cicippio read the Koran daily in order to boost his spirits during the ordeal. Cicippio a wife has spent much of her time trying to Contact islamic leaders to free her husband. At one Point the revolutionary Justice organization an offshoot of the pro iranian Hezbollah or party of god had said it would kill Cilip it to if Israel did not release Hezbollah eader Sheik Abdul Karim Obid. An emotional trauma for the family came when the first deadline for his execution set for 11 . Aug. 1, came and went. Shortly afterwards came word to Norristown that there had been a 48-hour reprieve. Cicippio a wife had made a Public Appeal in arabic for the captors to spare his life and his abductors said they were responding to that Appeal. Also in August Thomas Cicippio expressed frustration with the Reagan and Bush administrations and with the . State department. A live never heard anything from the White House from the first Day Joseph was taken a he said