BRIEFINGS AND REPORTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP94B00280R000700190003-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 40
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 11, 2011
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: July 7, 1986
• Content Type: REPORT

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 TITAN 34D ACCIDENT
AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TEChNOLOGY
28 April 1986
Titan Explosion Cripples U. S.
Launch, Surveillance Capability
Washington-The U. S. Air Force Titan
34D explosion Apr. 18 at Vandenberg
AFB intensifies an already critical U. S.
space launch crisis crippling strategic re-
connaissance, missile warning and other
military satellite operations.
Accident investigators are sure one of
the vehicle's two solid rocket boosters ex-
ploded, but are trying to determine wheth-
er the explosion was caused by a booster
defect or an external factor, such as an
unplanned activation of the destruct pack-
age on the solid rocket that exploded.
The Titan was carrying a USAF/Lock-
heed. Big Bird reconnaissance satellite,''
which returns its information using film developed within a 0.2-sec. period. The
pods. This is in contrast with the_ Central fireball was followed instantly by the ex-
'Intelligence Agency KH=11 type satellite, plosion of the entire 1.4-million-lb.-thrust
which: was not..on,the Titan that failed. solid rocket booster, investigators told
The KH-I1:=is-a much. different: spacecraft, AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY.
which also can be'launched on Titan but As the single solid booster exploded,
returns. its imager" by, digital radio. trans- the range safety system on the rest of the
?mission to `antennas at Ft:? Belvoir,' Va. Titan sensed the catastrophic malfunction.
As the Titan re
h
d
b
ac
e
a
out 700 ft. alti- Within milliseconds, the safety system
tude about 8.5 sec. after liftoff, Vanden- automatically fired destruct packages on
berg tracking cameras show that a 12-ft. the other solid booster and the Titan cen-
ball of fire erupted from the side of one of tral core vehicle to prevent these stages
the vehicle's two solid rocket boosters. from flying out of the launch area.
The tracking cameras were photographing Air Force and contractor countdown
the Titan every 0.2 sec. and the plume crews in the launch control center block-
house adjacent to the Space Launch Com-
plex-4 pad were shaken as the debris from
the 1.4-million-lb. vehicle crashed on the
pad,and surrounding area.
The Titan 34D launch pad was signifi-
cantly damaged and will require an esti-
mated five months to repair. A second
nearby launch pad used for smaller Titan
3B vehicles sustained less shrapnel type
damage.
Launch photography shows that what-
ever caused the United Technologies
Chemical Systems Div. motor to explode
probably did not result from a leak in a
booster segment seal as occurred with the
space shuttle solid booster, although this
remains under review. Investigators be-
lieve a failure in the solid booster itself is
a likely cause, but also are considering the
potential effect of outside factors. In the
late 1960s a Chemical Systems Div. Titan
solid booster being ground tested exploded
due to problems traced to the insulation
surrounding the solid propellant, investi-
gators said. The possibility that a similar
failure occurred in the Apr. 18 accident is
being assessed, as is the possibility that
propellant grain and motor case problems
were involved.
Accidental detonation of the range safe-
ty destruct package on the solid booster
due to electrical or other problems on the
stage also is being examined, as is the
possibility of a failure in the liquid-fueled
core vehicle that could have affected the
solid booster's destruct package. This sce-
nario is viewed as unlikely, however.
The Titan solid rocket booster program
is expected to require 6-12 months to re-
cover from the accident. The shuttle is
not expected to return to flight status un-
til mid-1987 at the earliest. Titan launches
of critical defense spacecraft prior to fully
understanding what caused the Apr. 18
accident would be ordered, if necessary, in
a national military emergency.
Flight experience with space shuttle sol-
id rocket booster seals began to raise con-
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cerns in mid-1985 about the adequacy of
seals' in the Chemical System Div. boost-
ers used on the Titan, as reported by Avi-
ATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY last
month (Aw&ST Mar. 17, p. 22). The com-
pany responded to those concerns by rec-
ommending a doubling of the seal protec-
tion on future versions of the booster-a
move Titan's prime contractor, Martin
Marietta. initially rejected. The manner in
which the stage exploded, however, is
leading away from the seals as the cause.
Titan accident investigators said.
Air Force/Lockheed SR,71 and U-2 re-
connaissance aircraft operations.. will be
expanded to obtain global, military, photo
intelligence over : low-air-defense ::`.threat
areas to help conserve the`,-,capability of
the single KH-11 reconnaissance satellite
remaining in space. The Titan lost Apr.
18 and an earlier Titan failure Aug. 18,
1985, both carried imaging reconnaissance
satellite payloads that were intended to.
supplement the single operational vehicle.
Reconnaissance Problem
Inability to supplement the KH-I1 in
orbit is a serious strategic reconnaissance
problem since that satellite, launched Dec.
4, 1984, is about halfway through its 3-4-
year expected lifetime. The U. S. normally
maintains at least two strategic reconnais-
sance spacecraft in orbit at a time.
The launcher that exploded was carry-
ing the last of the Big Bird spacecraft,
which is significantly different from a
KH-11.
A more advanced digital imaging satel-
lite series based on the 'KH-11 was to
begin missions from Vandenberg in 1987
on the shuttle. That new spacecraft-with
modifications-can be launched by either
the Titan or the space shuttle.
The problem, therefore, is not a lack of
reconnaissance spacecraft to launch, but
serious failures in both the space shuttle
and Titan-halting launches of all large
military spacecraft from both Vandenberg
and Cape Canaveral.
In addition to the reconnaissance satel-
lites to be launched from Vandenberg, Air
Force/TRW ballistic missile early warn-
ing spacecraft that will be launched into
geosynchronous orbit from Cape Canaver-
al will remain grounded until the cause of
the Titan booster failure can be corrected.
The missile warning spacecraft detect So-
viet missile launch exhaust plumes but do
not return imagery of the ground as do
the Big Bird and KH-11 spacecraft.
Loss of both Titan and shuttle launch
capability for the foreseeable future will
slow Cape Canaveral launch of missile
warning satellites with substantially im-
proved capabilities. These improvements
include uprated warning spacecraft
equipped with dual wavelength capabili-
ties in the satellite's 12-ft. infrared tele-
scope to prevent jamming by Soviet
ground-based lasers. The spacecraft also
Titan Coverage
Explosion of the Titan 34D satellite launch
vehicle on its pad at Vandenberg AFB.
Calif., was covered by these AVIATION WEEK
& SPACE TECHNOLOGY editors: Bruce A.
Smith, bureau chief, and engineering edi-
tor Michael A. Dornheim. in Los Angeles;
Craig Covault, senior editor space technol-
ogy, Theresa M. Foley, space technology
editor, and Paul Mann, senior congressio.
nal editor, in Washington, and Edward H.
Kolcum, senior editor Southeast U. S., at
Kennedy Space Center. Copy and picture
flow was directed by David Quast, assis-
tant managing editor-production.
have a satellite-to-satellite cross link com-
munications capability to thwart Soviet
radio jamming, and will carry a more
powerful computer.
Delivery of the first of these new space-
craft to Cape Canaveral is scheduled soon,
keyed to a launch that was to have taken
place on the space shuttle in 1987. The
improved missile warning satellite design
also is designed to be compatible with the
planned new Titan 34D-7 version of the
vehicle that exploded at Vandenberg.
The missile early warning satellites built
by TRW are just as critical to monitoring
Soviet capabilities as reconnaissance satel-
lites, and more critical from the stand-
point of providing the earliest possible
alert against Soviet missile attack.
Flaming debris was thrown hundreds of feet by the solid rocket booster that exploded and the
second booster, which was automatically destroyed by a safety destruct package.. Note the
space shuttle facilities in the right foreground, located about 3 mi. from the Titan pad.
One or two missile early warning space-
craft routinely are launched from Cape
Canaveral by Titan 34D boosters every
year. In 1984. as many as three were
launched from the Cape.
No missile early warning spacecraft
were launched in 1985. however, and the
inability to launch any more until the Ti-
tan and shuttle problems are resolved will
prevent the U. S. from replacing any de-
graded missile warning satellites in space
for the foreseeable future.
Recent Launches
The General Electric Defense Satellite
Communications System (DSCS-3) and
electronic intelligence satellite programs
are expected to be less affected because
such spacecraft have been launched from
Cape Canaveral by the space shuttle with-
in the last 18 months. The ability to re-
plenish any DSCS or electronic intelli-
gence spacecraft that fail in orbit will be
directly dependent on the return of the
Titan and shuttle to launch operations,
however.
About 20 Big Bird film reconnaissance
spacecraft have been launched by Titan
boosters from Vandenberg since 1971 and
about 6 KH-11 spacecraft have been
launched from Vandenberg since 1976.
The Big Bird satellite has some advan-
tages because its film reconnaissance prod-
uct can sometimes provide higher
resolution than the KH-11's image trans-
mission technique. The KH-11 however,
.Z
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is classed as a strategic response satellite
with great maneuvering capability to en-
able it to overfly critical targets without
relying entirely on orbital mechanics.
Since it does not use film as a consumable,
it has a much longer and more flexible
useful life compared with the Big Bird
satellites being phased out. The KH-11
also can relay its digital images to ground
stations through Air Force/Hughes Satel-
lite Data System relay spacecraft.
The Titan 3B, which uses the core Ti-
tan vehicle but not the solid rocket boost-
ers, has been used since 1970 to launch a
third type of imaging reconnaissance satel-
lite that also is being phased out after 29
missions. Satellites launched by Titan 313s
are smaller and shorter lived, but can dip
as low as 70 mi. altitude to provide ex-
tremely high-resolution images of ground
targets. Only one Titan 3B booster re-
mains in the Air Force inventory and its
launch pad is being modified for Titan-2
launches. That pad. too. must be repaired
because of damage from the Apr. 18 ex-
plosion.
The Titan 34D that exploded uses only
the solid rocket boosters mounted on ei-
ther side of the core vehicle during liftoff
to provide 2.8 million lb. of thrust. The
core vehicle's two liquid-fueled Aerojet
engines, generating 531,000 lb. of thrust,
are not ignited until about 2 min. into the
flight when the vehicle is 150,000 ft. high.
The solids are then separated and the
core's first stage propels the vehicle until
273 sec. into the mission. At this point.
the first stage separates and the single
engine on the second stage completes in-
jection of the reconnaissance satellite into
polar orbit 500 sec. after liftoff.
Booster Size
The solid rocket booster that exploded
is 120-in.-dia. and 90 ft. long. It is made
up of 51h propellant casting segments.
Each motor weighs over 542,000 lb.
Each booster consists of a forward clo-
sure, an aft closure and interchangeable
segments. Nitrogen tetroxide is carried in
a large tank on the right booster with
plumbing to route this fluid into each
booster's nozzle for thrust vector control.
The vehicle is guided by commands sent
from a ground guidance computer.
The steel motor case segments are held
together in a pin and clevis joint by 240
cylindrical pins. A single O-ring seal is
used in each joint and the seal is seated in
its functional location during joint build-
up, in contrast with the Morton Thiokol
shuttle booster design in which dual seals
are supposed to be seated by pressure
buildup in the motor.
At Vandenberg, the solid booster seg-
ments for Titan 34D vehicles are stacked
on the launch pad, and the handling of
that hardware during the stacking process
will be examined much like is being done
in the shuttle investigation. ^
^ NOT UD PER
(NAME, AGENCY)
^ UD; FORM ATTACHED
(INITIALS)
13
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A1O THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1986 ...
Spy Satellite System
Is Said `Not in Crisis'
By Walter Pincus
Wauhioon Post Stan Writer
U.S. photo-intelligence capabil-
ities from space have been
"stretched" because of last Friday's
explosion of a Titan 34D booster
rocket but are "not in crisis," ac-
cording to a former Defense De-
partment official familiar with such
top-secret reconnaissance.
Some nongovernment experts on
space programs have said that only
one U.S. photo-intelligence satellite
is in orbit, a KH11, and that the last
of that model was destroyed in the
Titan explosion.
They have also said there is no
immediate prospect of launching a
new photo-intelligence satellite be-
cause the KH11's larger successor,
the KH12, can only be boosted into
space by the shuttle.
Other sources with direct knowl-
edge of the highly classified pro-
gram take issue with that analysis.
Avoiding mention of numbers and
types, they suggest that the United
States has more photo-intelligence
capability from space than a lone
KH11.
There are "adequate resources to
cover our needs" and more "assets"
in space capable of providing visual
and other intelligence data than ex-
perts outside government realize,
the former Pentagon official said.
Another soruce said of the Titan
explosion, "It was not a KH11," add-
ing that what was atop the Titan
34D was associated with a "black
[intelligence] program."
The major problem created by
the second Titan 34D failure in sev-
en months and the Jan. 28 shuttle
disaster, he and other sources said,
is not loss of two intelligence-gath-
ering satellites but of ways to
launch other important, larger sat-
ellites.
These include new-generation
DSP early-warning satellites, so-
phisticated Magnum electronic in-
tercept satellites, new KH-12 pho-
to-reconnaissance satellites, SDS
information-relay satellites and jam-
proof DSCS III high-frequency com-
munications satellites.
"If the number of geopolitical
problem areas grow," a former Pen-
tagon official said, "we could run out
of capability .... But as of now we
have adequate resources .... "
The sophisticated $800 million
KH1I has been the backbone of the
space-intelligence system for 10
years. Able to circle the globe in 90
minutes, it can be directed to take
pictures almost anywhere on Earth
from 150 miles in space and return
them immediately.
Tiff: WASMNGTON POST
Last August, a KH11 was de-
stroyed when a Titan 34D failed af-
ter launch. At that time, the United
States had available what one offi-
cial called "ample" photo satellites.
Because of security, the nongovern-
inent experts said they are not cer-
tain how many KH11s were built or
orbited and how long they remain
operational.
The first KH12 was built specif-
ically to be orbited by the shuttle,
which can carry a greater payload
than the Titan 34D. But, according
to revised shuttle projections, will
not be launched until July 1987 at
the earliest, Pentagon sources said.
Also waiting to go into orbit
aboard a Titan 34D, one source
said, is the DSP (defense support
program) satellite, which has been
ready for several months at Cape
Canaveral. Probes into the Titan
crashes have delayed its launch.
The DSP would be pushed into
stationary orbit far above the Soviet
Union where it would be the first
device to "see" with infrared detec-
tors signs of a Soviet missile launch.
Three older DSP satellites are in.
operation and two earlier' ones re-
main in orbit as backups, one source
said. Such redundancy offers an in-
dication of the extra capability built
into the space-defense program.
The newest DSP, unlike the old-
er ones, can counter Soviet at-
tempts to hide space launches and
transmit data in a manner that can-
not be jammed, sources said.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 1986
Reports on Secret Rocket Payload Called Wrong
WASHMGTON, April 25 (AP) - A
raspeeted trade publication is contra. repoz that the
T racktthat last week
was carryln an advanced spy satel-
ltte, the KH-11.
Tahoee Aviation Week and r1* in its issue
of Aprils 2that the ~ rocket was instead
arryirtg an Air Force reconnaissance
satellite that rettuas its information by
tr eved off
a
The ed b pods that are than ro-
tr --ll, by contrast, sends its in-
I formation by radio to Fort Belvoir, Va.
The tcentral he dataIntaili Agency ana-
The Titan climbed 700 feet above
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in
Its 8.5 seconds of flight April 18. Track-
ing cameras show a 12-foot ball of fire
erupted from the side of one booster
rocket before the entire assembly ex-
ploded, the magazine said.
Question About Cause
The Titan rockets are armed with ex-
plosives so they can be destroyed in the
air if they veer within range of popu-
lated areas. Investigators are trying to
determine whether the explosion was
caused by a defect in the rocket or
whether the explosives went off acci-
dentally, the magazine said.
Most experts say the destruction of
the space shuttle Challenger and its
crew of seven on Jan. 28 was caused by
a leak between segments of the right
booster rocket, and such a leak was im-
mediately suspected in the Titan,
which uses similar joints.
The magazine said such a leak
"probably" did not cause the explo-
sion, "although this remains under re-
view.
The Titan's solid-fuel booster rockets
are built by United Technologies
Chemical Systems Division, while the
space shuttle's are built by Morton
Thiokol Inc.
Aviation Week sai' the Titan booster
program would take 6 to 12 months to
recover from the April 18 accident and
a similar one last August. The space
shuttle is expected to be grounded 12 to
18 months for modifications to its
booster rockets.
An improved version of the KH-11,
the KH-12, was to have been launched
from Vandenberg next year. The im-
provement mainly adds the capability
to launch the satellite from either a
Titan rocket or from the space shuttle.
Only one KH-11 satellite is now in orbit,
experts outside the Government say.
The magazine said the satellite de.
stroyed in the explosion, dubbed Big
Bird, was the last of the series. It said
the United States would increase its
reconnaissance capability by expand-
ing flights of the SR-71 and U-2 spy
planes.
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r'rr'd by his III iddll?-class nl'ighhors. ox
(ears ago neighbor John I?'nv:u?a nrrilit?n-
I (llv killed GOIIi's 12-year-aid son when
1 hehov rode his hike (lit (It lie pat Ii of his car.
Soon after. witnesses said, f?'avara disap-
penred. 'pecul;lt ion is 111:11 he \\?ns buzz-
sawr?d in 111111 before Ile \y; Is stulied into a
i:Il, nhuut Io he power compacted, which
;1111 i denies. \le;ln\\'hile. he Visits his son's
g r;I1'e 111 nt11sl (t Oi I1'.
I'he GoII* legefill nlrparenily went 11110
action as the current trial hegan. A key
prosecution witness reported Ih;U o black
Mercedes like (;oat's sidled up to hint on
the highway and two men called Out, "We
want to talk to you about the Gelb honli-
cide,"one of the murders mentioned in the
indictment. Meanwhile, \Villianl Battista,
a Gotli associate Iurned infornler, fled
when his name was leaked to I he defense.
And Gatti codefendant r\rnlond 1)elIi
Croce. Who had pleaded guilty to one rack-
eteering c011111. \;Inished (11011 his April I
sentencing.
Material witness: The disappearances sent
prosecutor I)iaIle Giacaloll escurr?ying fora
court 01(ler to seal the list ol't he more than
1110 government witnesses from defense
attorneys. U.S.districtjudge Eugene Nick-
lrson groped the request. but stern warn-
ings From the hench may not be enough.
I,nst 111011th Ilonlual 1'iecyk. a 3i-year-Old
mechanic who had told police that Gatti
roughed him up in o dispute over a parking
splice. suddenly lost his nlenlory....hhe nlc1-
dia printed that he war: next ill line for
godf,rIher.?' Piecvk wrote till' Queens dis-
I rict attorney. ?\a' oral l1'. my idea for pur
suing;his(irupp(?d.?? When the I).A. persist-
ed. Piecyk checked himself into 11 hospital
Yanked out of bed and
held os n nlateri:ll witness, I'iecyk claimed
he didn't recognize his attackers in the
cOurlroom. Beaming, GOtII .valked free.
Gatti nlav not walk away this time. But
even il' he does, law-enforcement ollicials
sirs' his control (I't he Gambino family ntay
be waning. Last week's bombing may have
peen the first salvo in a gathering mob
wa ': at olinhll1I1 . it Was a powerful mark
of disrespect "I don't see anything good
for I1in1,' said Ron:Ild Goldst(ck, director
0l Ilse New York State (h?g:ulized ('rime
T;(sk Torre "Odds to Ihot 111 Will he
convicted or 0r1'indict,'d or subject to his
I\tn ullernnl w:(('tlu1." In the end. his
-11It ill,-, power I1(0\ depend not so much on
Ow f,:11 Ile engenders but on \chet her :1
lough guy like John (?tilt is Ibw (11;10 Io
.:1I I'\' I Ili' \1:111:1 into t11e1'!It clntur\. Tlw
d- ;Ire tougher 111011 e'v'r. Business is
,,IOd. :11111 hidden nI II( (Centenl of legiti-
n1:ue enlorln'ISes Tally yield mare and
Sex Ilrotfis 111;111 Ihe old st ong-;u'med
',:I\-' 1';1111 l':I II?I ;un cool 11111\'e IIll.
.1-1 kill'-di .III~?r ;111
'We thought of an A-bomb': Trlu,t
A Space
Spy Gap
The Titan explosion
L1\ ing in the shadow of sprawling Van-
denberg Air Force Base, residents
Lompoc. Calif? ha1'e beconle inured to
rocket launches. Few were looking sky-
ward last Friday morning when :t giant
T'itan 341) rocket on a classified military
mission exploded just live seconds ;Ilter
liftoff. '?I heard a banging. but it wasn't
really loLid. ?? said Alice 1)i ,\rtn:ls, tyho was
working behind the counter at a Liearby
Jiffy-Mart. "Then we sa(v the cloud-
white and orange on the bottonl.'I'he first
thing t+'e thought of was the A-bomb." It
was the second failure of the rocket in as
many launches: last August another'I'itan
341), carrying a vital KII-11spy satellite.
was destroyed by ground cool roller's four
olinutc's after liftoff because of massive
problems with its liquid-fuel system. ,\lier
the latest failure. the :\ir foci:e 1I'oulid(d
its renlainillu six ?I'i(:01 1-il)?s until Ihe
causesoflIll. launch 1:(iIII reseould he iden-
lilied. . That could 1:1k(, months :1nd
nonths,?? said Air force -polo sal:1(1 \laj.
[?()It Ito 11(1.
'1111'g'oundingof i i ''iiloll 111eI.(liii Ied
((:1111 Ihe l'hnllenger 1r:w1 d\. 1111:1111 11101
America suddenly Iackld Hie 111:lye-lilt
C: p: i iIv to put.l:u?C1 s;u('IbI s s:1f1 It into
111Iit. InI0,11ig1ncl sources described 1111
1:11151 sp:acls'lh:wk :(s;1 11:111,(11:11 sectit it\
dis:( ter--ogle IIi:11 co11111 \\ it hill :I \1:0'
11:11'1 1111 I711111d tit:II(- 01flnua nIre sl)\
s,oIIliles to 10onillu' 1ovit?i in 111:1ry 11re-
purldnlss. :\cc11rding to solos'
I k I I . Ile IaIea iii - Este( ?Ti-
1:111 rocket \+?n> c:0'ryiI I g the
I:ISt of III(' KII-II rec01111IIis-
nnce s:uellitt Another KII-
I I is rurrentl~' in po11u? orbit
numilorulg "lyiel (1lilil;u.t? ac-
tivIl\'. Lilt under normal condi-
tions its Hill for maneuvers
will he exhausted by earls' next
though experts say its
fe expectancy alight he ex-
tended through 1057. But the
:fir force Ila(1 pl;uured to have
two KII-Its ill orbit sinlulta-
neously. "We need then) to
keep track of'tylint the Soviets
Ore up to," said Michael Kre-
11011. nn :O1111S-contt'ol expert
It the Carnegie Endowntenl
for International Peace. "Elven
when We Kaye a full conlple-
numl up there. there aren.t
enour;h I(1 du everything Ihat we want
I hem to do.?'
Tight securiIV means that it is fill. From
certain that the ast KI I-I1 wns aboard the
Titan. Some sources said that the payload
was the Pentagons latest global communi-
cations satellite. Even so. that would not
significantly lessen the problem. The Air
Force alight still hate its last KI-1-11, but no
secure way to put it or any other critical
nlilitarv satellite into orbit.
Desperation ploy: Why is the United States
down to just one aging eye in the sky to
monitor the Soviet military buildup? The
dilenllna steals from NASA's insistence
that the spaceshuttIe? Would he used forall
l'uturesatellite aunches.The Kli-llsWerc
scheduled to begin to Ise replaced this year
by the Air Force's far more sophisticated
and heavier KII-1'_'sateI l ites. But the Chal-
lengerexplosionchanged all that,sincethe
Titan lacks the power to put a KI-1-12) into
orbit. Last week's abortive Titan launch
111111' have been a desperation ploy: the re-
nlainill" KI-I-1I was an engineering test
model retrofitted to replace the spy satel-
lite destroyed last August.
l'he sudden spy-s:u el I itc shortage has led
luspeculation Ihat t he space shuttle alight
he prenl;lturely 1?1rced hack into service to
(111'1.1 the mild:Ir1''ssuryeill;lncc needs. But
even in the hest )I circumstances, I;tulch-
ing Ihe KIi-I?_' 011(1111 he Tricky. tiuch n
I:1tolch WIIIIId require unproven lighter
lit:(n;enl-wound boo-ler c::-togs :Ind throt-
le settings hi; tier t11;oi Ihe shuttle 11:15
,.\(,I used befou'l'. It would hive been a high-
risk ope1:111oll It ilea -even before the
('h;dlingeril;igerly No\\Ihellnitedst;tto5
111:Irl1,V'Io\yci IIIllehualnnIisksofrush-
n Iheshln11e11;0Ck inl''ser\'iceag:ainst t h '
11:1111111:11 -'1111II' of losing ;I st;\
vyonlllty 1111 1111? oyil'I Paton.
11.11" Hirt
rr; It.r,q~n. r.?~ ?: n,i I'I iii \I. \i I \ r\ '. (.?..u i..
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The comet 76 years ago and today, in photos taken from the Northeastern United States
FAREWELL TO HALLEY'S
The comet that
left us comatose
^ By mid-April, the reviews were in:
Halley's comet, once billed as the astro-
nomical show of a lifetime, was it bust.
Though scientists no doubt learned
much from the latest visit of the celes-
tial nomad, most observers were disap-
pointed. "Just it (full, smudgy. little old
anticlimax," complained one.
The biggest letdown came for those
who coughed up sky-high sums to trav-
el cosmic distances to the Southern
1-1emisphere. where viewing was sup-
posed to be best. "I came 4,000 miles to
see this crummy little fuzzball?" wailed
it woman on it mountaintop in Peru.
The problem. scientists said, was un-
TITAN DISASTER
Uncle Sam still
blind in one eye
^ .A stunning launch-pad explosion of
America's most powerful unmanned
rocket. possibly carrying a top-secret
spy satellite. may leave U.S. photo re-
connaissance crippled at it time when
world tension is running high.
Only 3 seconds after the April 18
liftoff of the I (tan 34D from Vandcn-
herg Air Force Base in California. the
rocket erupted in a massive fireball.
The liquid-propelled Titan uses the
saute type of solid-fuel booster rockets
as did the space shuttles.
Air Force officials would not confirm
that it photo-intelligence satellite was
aboard the Titan. 13111 outside experts
said such a craft has been urgently
readied for launch this spring to replace
one lost in the last Titan blastoff. in
August. ,which also ended in disaster.
If another KIi-I I photo-rccoIM is-
realistic expectations. People anticipat-
ed it repeat of the 1910 visit, when
Halley's came so close, within 14 mil-
lion miles. that Earth actually passed
through its tail. This time. the comet
got no nearer than 39 million miles. All
the Earthbound could see was it faint
spot-not the huge ball of light and
long tail captured by old photos. Ili
fact, Halley's put on the dullest show of
its 30 recorded visits since 240 B.C.
If the comet didn't exactly light up
the sky, it did ring some bells. Tele-
scope and binocular sales for Tasco hit
S70 million in 1985. up 519 million
over the previous year.
Among the most enterprising comet
sellers were firms that licensed logos for
the natural phenomenon. Owen Ryan &
Associates of New York expects to make
S I million from licensing 22 firms to sell
such items as Halley's auto tags, meal
kits from it fast-food chain and pajamas.
lance satellite indeed
was destroyed on April
18, the United States
will remain half blind
for at least one more
year in its ability to
monitor Soviet military
bases and % such hot
spots as the Persian
Gulf and Libya.
Normally, two such
birds careen through
the heavens. dividing -
the globe between
them. Since August.
however. when one of
the satellites went
dead. one has had to
do the work of two.
"ihe result: American
analysts can watch
The company's other enterprises: A
comet magazine that sold nearly 1 mil-
lion copies at S3 each and, for $350, a
packet of 80 comet stamps.
Travel agents did well as avid comet
watchers paid 53.000 to $4,000 for
tours to Australia, Africa, South Amer-
ica and the South Pacific. But there
were cancellations as it became obvious
the comet was a fizzle. Alan MacRo-
bert of Sky and Telescope magazine in-
sisted the problem was not in the stars
but in ourselves. Color photos, movies,
TV and other modern gadgets have sat-
ed people's visual senses.
Though it will he the end of April
before Halley's disappears for another
76 years. MacRohert's advice to all but
dedicated aniatetc: astronomers was: "If
you're looking for visual thrills, stay in
and watch beer commercials on TV." ^
by Steve Huntley and Jeannye Thornton
chelson. arms-control-
verification specialist at
American University ill
Washington. D.C.. add-
ing: "With only one sat-
elliteoperating, you for-
feit sortie important
military intelligence."
The Titan failure
also was worrisome be-
cause of the loss . of tile
shuttle Challenger in
January. as Well as be-
ing the second Ianneh
accident in it row for
the Titan. Intelligence
sources? said the de-
slruction of the rocket
and its payload last
August 28 added up to
$150 million. That was
the first Titan failure in IS years of'
launches from Vandenhcrg.
The new Titan mishap. on the heels
ofI the grounding of the shuttle fleet.
may ha,c left America without a high-
way into space for the biggest and
most-important lnifit:ury payloads. ^
only half the planet's surface at a time.
In 1979. a gap in satellite coverage of
the Soviet Union pfa\cd a role in Sen-
ate rejection of the SAI:f II Treaty.
"We're in a very precarious position
concerning our intelligence and treaty-
nuntitoring cap;thilit te,,",aid Jeffrey Ri-
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NEWSWEEK
5
A Hurried Return
for the Shuttle?
It may be needed soon to launch a spy satellite
ty were worrisome enough follow-
ing last January's destruction of
the space shuttle Challenger: ac-
cording to the Pentagon, a year's
grounding of the shuttle fleet would post-
pone the launching of about 10 "criti-
cal national-security payloads"-satellites
used for photographic reconnaissance and
other military missions. But that figure
assumed continued operation of the Air
Force's unmanned Titan launchers, a sup.
position that went up in a cloud of white
and orange smoke on April 18, when a
Titan 34D exploded just seconds after lift-
off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California. Now, says one Pentagon source,
"we just flat don't have any heavy payload
launch capability."
For the moment, the military is more
concerned than worried. But with the back-
log of "critical payloads" growing, the Pen-
tagon may soon need the launch capacity
badly enough to require use of a shuttle
prematurely. "This is the biggest mess the
American space program has been in since
the beginning," says space expert John
Pike of the Federation of American Scien-
tists. "As of [the day the Titan exploded],
the space progam is shut down."
Demoralized agency: Pressure for a pre-
mature launch was the last thing NASA
needed. Last week, just as confirmation
hearings for James Fletcher as NASA ad-
ministrator were getting under way. The
New York Times ran a detailed two-part
series describing government auditors' re-
ports of poor management. fraud and in-
competence within the agency, causing the
waste of at least S3.5 billion since the start
of the shuttle program in 191-1. Fletcher.
who had been NASA's chief when some of
the alleged mismanagement occurred, de-
scribed the charges as cumulatively mis-
leading. While the articles led some sena-
tors to question Fletcher's suitability for
the job, they nonetheless seemed unwilling
to leave the demoralized agency leaderless
in the Challenger aftermath.
The Air Force has managed to keep the
doomed Titan's payload a secret, but many
outside experts are convinced it was a
\ \r.\ UKI , I. H, 4:HTV:I.
'The biggest mess': A launch of Discovery. Fletcher at confirmation hearing
KH-11 photo-reconnaissance satellite. If
so, it was the last one in the U.S. inventory
another blew up with an errant Titan in
August i. The lone KH-11 now in orbit, mon-
itoring Soviet military activities and arms-
control compliance, will likely run out of
fuel sometime next year, although NASA
hopes that conservation measures can
keep it aloft until 1988. Its next-generation
replacement, the 32,000-pound KH-12, is
too heavy to fly on a Titan and is designed to
be reserviced in orbit. Only a shuttle can
carry it. "Right now the situation is not
catastrophic," said a Pentagon source.
However, the Air Force and NASA are cut-
ting things very close: the space agency
does not expect to be fully satisfied with the
shuttle's safety until 1988. If the best-case
timetable goes awry, the United States
would either have to rush a shuttle launch
and risk another tragedy and the loss of a
S1 billion KH-12 or face the prospect of
having no orbital eye on the Soviets.
American security overall is not at risk.
At any one time, says Paul Stares of the
Brookings Institution, the United States
has 45 to 50 military or national-security
satellites in orbit. But they do different
jobs. such as communications, ocean sur-
veillance and nuclear detection. Until a
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Preparing for polar orbit: Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the new shuttle port, enables a launch over water
KH-12 can be launched, the KH-11 is the
United States' sole photo- reconnaissance
satellite, and its loss would be only partial-
IV covered by a planned increase in the use
of the high-altitude SR-71 "spy" plane.
Although a KH-12 is rumored to be flight
ready, the shuttle is far from it. Redesign-
ing and testing the solid rocket boosters
that appear to be the cause of the Challeng-
er explosion will take at least a year.
James Kingsbury, head of the booster joint
redesign team at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight center, is contemplating several
changes in the four-segment rocket: a rub-
ber-band-like seal to protect the joints
between the segments from wind and wa-
ter: a heating element to keep the
"O-rings" inside from becoming too stiff to
seal the joints in cold weather, and inter-
locking edges to stop rotational forces that
warp the joints and tend momentarily to
unseat the O-rings.
Maximum coverage: Even before the Janu-
ary disaster, NASA faced delays in prepar-
ing a shuttle to loft a KH-12. For maximum
coverage. spy satellites must fly in a north-
south polar orbit, perpendicular to the
earth's rotation. Thus with each orbit they
pass over a different swath of land. But
polar orbits require far greater thrust than
the shuttle's normal east-west equatorial
orbit, in which the earth's rotation imparts
a 900-nmph boost. Without this kick, north-
south launches require lighter booster
rockets. made of filament-wound casings
instead of heavy steel. But the new casings
have already failed several recent tests.
Under current conditions, a KH-12
launch would violate NASA associate ad-
ministrator Richard Truly-'s criteria for re-
turning the shuttle to work. Among other
things, he stipulated that the first launch
be from Florida and that the main engine
be throttled no higher than 105 percent of
standard thrust. But any polar-orbit shut-
tle must lift off from Vandenberg: U.S. poli-
cy prohibits a launch over land for safety
reasons, and Cape Canaveral has popula-
tion centers to the north and south. Van-
denberg launches are southward over wa-
ter, but to reach polar orbit, the main
engine must be pushed up to 109 percent of
thrust-the maximum.
Despite the arguments against a Van-
denberg launch anytime soon, many
workers believe that a shuttle liftoff will
come sooner than the September 1987
date announced after the Challenger dis-
aster. Vandenberg workers are now mak-
ing modifications to Space Launch Com-
plex 6 on a narrow plain between the
Santa Ynez Mountains and the bluffs
overlooking the Pacific. Known as "Slick-
G." the pad can handle at least four shuttle
launches a year.
Given the vastness of Vandenberg's
100,000 acres, security fears have arisen:
destruction of a launch-ready shuttle
would take little more than shots from a
well-aimed rifle. And getting on the base is
as easy as buying a train ticket from L.A. to
San Francisco: an Amtrak line crosses
Vandenberg within eyeshot of Slick-6. But
the Air Force hints that the base is well
covered by electronic surveillance, and se-
curity has been tightened since the Libya
bombing. Still, space officials in Washing-
ton worry about sabotage from within the
work force. "It is much too easy to leave a
bolt untightened or a wire disconnected,"
said one source.
How soon Slick-6 will be needed depends
on how badly the Titan explosion im-
paired U.S. ability to monitor Soviet ac-
tivities, and that depends on whether the
rocket was indeed carrying the last avail-
able KH-11 or on how long it will take to
ready another Titan for launch. If the
existing KH-I1 lasts until 1988, the Penta-
gon may be able to scrape by with its
current satellite armada until the shuttle
can safely fly again. Otherwise, if the craft
is forced to the launch pad too early and
another orbiter is by chance destroyed,
says a space expert, it "would stretch a
2-year loss into a 10-year loss."
711AR1)N BEIGLEY UIfh MARY t(AG Rand
.iOH\ BARRY 1 n WiL,'hingIonand
PET :R MrAI. VE1'of t'nndrnberg
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t~'~26 i a ~ `+~ 1 MAY 196o
AIR FORCE STUDIES
DELAYING SHUTTLE
Pentagon May Wait Until 1991;:
to -
for First Launching of Craft.:
From California Base
NI-
:r
a
r
By JOHN H. CUSHMAN Jr.
Special to The New Yost Times
.. WASHINGTON, May 20 - The Air
the first space shuttle launching from dr.
new West Coast facility until 1991,
when a replacement for the shuttle
Challenger might become available,
Until the Challenger.. was' destroyed
just after liftoff from Cape Canaveral,
Fla., in January. the first launching
uled to take'place In July.
The Government is considering'
major changes in-the way military,
scientific and commercial satellites
are launched in the wake of the Chal-
lenger's destruction; which killed the
crew of seven and forced the grounding
of the three remaining shuttles tor'at
least 18 months
:
Putting Sits. In'Motdtaibs
Delaying' Ilia nalQee. wage of a.
space shuttle from Vandenberg would
mean putting the facility, built at a cost
of $2.8 billion over the past seven years,
into standby status. This would tempo-
rarily crimp the nation's ability to put
military payloads into polar orbits, a
job normally done from ? the West
Coast.
The officials, who are deeply in
volved in military space programs,
said no consideration' was being given
to closing the. Vandenberg shuttle corn
plex permanently.
Maj. Ron Rand, an Air Force spokes-
man, said the military had not-made a
final decision of Vandenberrg~ He said
the Air Force 'reopened'. the issue"
when the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration disclosed re-
cently that the remaining three space
shuttle orbiters would, be grounded
until. next summer.'and that flights
would then resumer oh a much more
conservative schedule than previously
planned.
An official said today that these new
estimates of the remaining shuttles'
flight schedu* had led the military to
doubt whether flying some missions
from Vandenberg "is the best thing to
do with the'taxpayers' motley." '
Balancing Cost and Security
The officials stressed that. the deci.
Sion on the Vandenberg facility, Space
Launch 31x. i?',exceedingly.
ules must be hpIaned, itet'Y[4if r
they are destined';fu(t`'p;plar`arbi
which allow them to pssti over ali
.views y, d
Air Fos egtii . ' a Ia
Toe.i ton cf-tli6 earth makes i
It
,-_ch r_- ---'--' o
Satellawr'
+ites Florida, and doing sol
with a ace shuttle 1116 fight require t
=New fly over populated areas,
such us New York City.
Possible Delays Cited
If the Air- Force temporarily boards
up the space shuttle launchi facility
:in California. it: p ba d delay
launching certain: ly classified?
satellites into polo . 'until -A...
variety of heavy duty.;rock'et becomes
available, perhaps in ::3900.Otber out,.
tie payloads' though, could be launched.
from Florida. ;
The first shuttle payload now sched-
uled to take off from Vandenberg Is an
experimental satellite, Teal Ruby, that
carries infrared sensors to spot and
track aircraft and cruise missiles. This
satellite is not polar orbiting and could
be launched from the Florida'.site.
The officials said that even if the Air
Force elected to press for the earliest
possible shuttle launching from Van-
denberg. the delays stemming from the
Challenger's destruction, at with
other considerations,, .would. dde y the
preaches to a possible further; delay,
they said.
Aiming for Space Station,.,
The worst case, they said, would be
to put the facility into. "caretaker
'status" until It is needed for missions
relating to the planned construction of
a manned space station some time in
the mid-1990's. It would take three
years to bring the launching site Into
operation once the need became appar-
ent, they said.
A less drastic option would be to shut-
ter the facility until a fourth space shut-
tle is built to replace the Challenger.
This is likely to take until 1990 at the
earliest.
Even if West Coast flights are post-
poned, the officials said, the Air Force
willcontinue to prepare the launching
site for service as quickly as possible.
As part of that effort the space shuttle
Columbia will be taken to Vandenberg
this summer for tests of the facilities.
$W Million a Year
The Air Force estimates the annual
cost of operating the Vandenberg shut
tle facilities at $100 million. Some of
this money still would be spent just to
keep the facilities in shape.
The real advantage of putting Van-
deberg into mothballs, they said, is
that it allows NASA and the Defense
Department to increase the number of
launchings each year while a fourth
shuttle is built.
It is time-consuming to switch a shut-
-de back and forth between the Florida
and California la sites, and the
result would be a loss o "two or more
missions per year," an official said.
But while the military is eager to fly
the remaining shuttles as often as pos-
sible once flights .resume, it does not
want to lose the ability to launch some
of its most important satellites into or-
bits over the earth's poles.
C26
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Quick Decision at Justice
Deeper probe: Deaver
White House
Trade Strategy
T hough the Democrats are
counting on trade as a key
issue for their candidates in No-
vember, White House aides say
they have new private polls
showing that trade is not a ma-
jor national concern. Accord-
ingly, Reagan's men plan no
high-profile presidential cam-
paign against the protectionist
trade bill pushed through the
House by Democrats last week
and likely to be taken up by the
E ven before the Justice
Department announces the
completion of its preliminary
investigation into alleged eth-
ics-law violations by former
White House aide Michael
Deaver, Reagan administra-
tion sources say a decision has
been made at Justice to call for
an independent counsel in the
case. With Attorney General
Edwin Meese III standing aside
because of his long prior rela-
tionship with Deaver, the deci-
sion to request a special counsel
is being made by Deputy Attor-
ney General Lowell Jensen, ac-
cording to sources close to the
case. Given Deaver's close
ties to Ronald Reagan, these
sources say, the White House is
"staying so far from the deci-
sion it isn't even funny.
Meanwhile, former White
House counsel Fred Fielding
has requested an informal
Senate later this session. White I
House strategists will limit the
president's public involvement
on the issue to one major speech
later this month and occasional
comments touting "free trade"
at appropriate times and places
-with the clear understanding
that Reagan will veto protec-
tionist legislation if it reaches
his desk. Until then, with New
York Times, Washington Post
and Wall Street Journal edito-
rials backing the White House
position, "we'll let our distin-
guished allies carry the fight for us on this one," said one senior
White House aide.
A Waldheim Protest
'f Kurt Waldheim is elected
president of Austria next
month-and it is proved that
he wronged the Jews or com-
mitted any war: crimeos during
World War fl-Israel will pro-
test by not sending a new am-
bassador to Vienna during his
term of office, according to Is-
raeli officials. Ambassador Mi-
chael Elizur has already agreed
informally to postpone his
planned retirement this sum-
mer for six months, if neces-
sary, so a new Israeli envoy
would not have to present cre-
dentials to a newly elected
Waldheim this summer. When
Elizur finally does step down,
the Israelis would leave their
embassy to the present deputy
chief' of mission-or perhaps a
new, but somewhat more sen-
ior, charge d'affaires.
meeting with the staff of a
House subcommittee looking
into the Deaver case. According
to subcommittee sources, Field-
ing says he wants to "clarify"
his role in the controversy-
drafting a letter supporting
Deaver a day after meeting an
official of Deaver's firm to dis-
cuss a job there.
The House panel also has be-
gun to consider expanding its
investigation to include ac-
tivities of the office of the
U.S. Trade Representative. The
subcommittee has received a
number of complaints that the
revolving door between the
USTR and firms lobbying for
foreign. clients has made it all
but impossible to keep U.S.
trade strategy secret from those
countries. Such an inquiry is
likely to include the role of
Deaver's firm in trade matters,
committee sources say.
Now Safe?
nt statistics show
that Americans who
avoid foreign travel be-
cause of terrorism face
greater risks at home.
? 25 killed overseas in
terrorist attacks (1985)
? 43,500 killed In
automobile accidents in
the United States (1985)
? 1,384 murdered In
New York City (1985)
? 36 murdered in
Honolulu (1985)
? 150 died In their own
bathtubs (1984)
? 1,063 killed in boating
accidents (1984)
? 3,100 died choking
on food (1984)
SOURCES: U.B. STATE DEPARTMENT,
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTA-
TION. FBI. NATIONAI. SAWN
COUNCIL
Challenger New plans
Spy Launch
The U.S. Air Force has a radi-
cal new plan to launch its
next-generation spy satellite-
the KH-12. Only one U.S. pho-
to-reconnaissance satellite re-
mains aloft, and it is expected to
run out of fuel sometime next
year.. But the new military
space complex at Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California-
the planned launch site for the
KH-12-has run into delays
that may make it unavailable
for space-shuttle launches for
two years. So the Air Force is
planning to put the massive
32,000-pound KH-12 satellite
into orbit next summer on one
of the first rescheduled shuttle
flights from Cape Canaveral
since the Challenger disaster,
though it would. require some
fancy flying and two trips.
To save weight and ease
strain on the shuttle engines
during liftoff, military sources
say, the satellite would go up
without a full load of fuel just
enough for precise placement
in the north-south polar orbit
required for Soviet surveil-
lance. A second shuttle would
carry the rest of the fuel. Nor-
mally, a polar launch from Ca-
naveral would fly over heavily
populated areas such as New
York City, but the Air Force
hopes to avoid that with a dog-
leg course out over the ocean,
then back northwest between
Pittsburgh and Chicago.
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LEVEL 1 - 26 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright m 1986 Reuters Ltd.
April 18, 1986, Friday, AM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 653 words
HEADLINE: TITAN EXPLODES, SENDING UP GAS CLOUD
BYLINE: By Ronald Clarke
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
on the base, but far from the Titan site. Base officials believe the
first space shuttle launch from Vandenberg, which covers 154 square miles of
scrubland, will take place in the latter part of next year.
The Air Force also refused to identify the payload aboard on the booster that
exploded over Vandenburg last August, but published reports at the time
identified it as a KH-11 photo -intelligence spy satellite.
Pentagon officials, who asked not to be identified, expressed disappointment
at today's explosion.
They said they did not know what effect it would have on military launches,
which have been backed up by the suspension-of the shuttle program caused by the
Challenger disaster, which killed seven astronauts.
The Titan, built by the Martin Marietta Corp., is America's standard
..heavy-duty space workhorse booster and is used for both military and non- ...
^ cNvi^& /-IRTWX/Wt' ^ JE~-r/^C &I tfIC
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LEVEL 1 - 22 OF 64 STORIES
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
April 18, 1986, Friday, PM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 316 words
HEADLINE: Explosion Rocks Missile Base During Scheduled Launch
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Missile-Blast
BODY:
... saw a huge orange cloud in the sky.
Vandenberg, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is where the Air Force tests
new missiles such as the MX and periodically launches ballistic missiles already
in service, such as the Minuteman III, to test their reliability.
Military and civilian satellites are also launched there.
Last Aug. 28, a Titan rocket blew up after launch from Vandenberg. The rocket
had carried a KH-11 photographic reconaissance satellite, which was
destroyed in the blast.
John Pike, a space analyst for the Federation of American Scientists in
Washington, said earlier this year that he believed the August explosion left
only one of the supersecret KH-11s in orbit, while the Pentagon prefers to have
two passing over the Soviet Union.
IF AT-X??/^iLft A1JLw%VIC` I 'WIC Au !WWIIC
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LEVEL 1 - 21 OF 64 STORIES
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
April 18, 1986, Friday, AM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 656 words
HEADLINE: Titan Space Rocket Explodes; Believed Carrying Spy Satellite
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Missile-Blast
BODY:
... launch area," he said.
"A great red-orange puff of smoke came up," said Victor A. Sanchez, who was
working nearby. "It shook the whole ground."
St. John would not speculate about the booster's payload. An Air Force
statement released in Washington said the payload was classified.
But it was almost certain the rocket was carrying a refurbished model of the
KH-11 photographic reconaissance satellite or a previously unknown
satellite, said Stares and Jeffrey Richelson, a military reconaissance expert at
American University in Washington.
The KH-11 believed aboard was intended to be a test model but was refurbished
after another Titan blew up after launch at Vandenberg on Aug. 28, destroying a
KH-11 and leaving only one of the satellites in orbit, said ...
... treaties "in a very precarious position," Richelson said.
A newer, more sophisticated spy satellite, the KH-12, is too big to be
launched on expendable rockets and can be put into orbit only by a space
shuttle, Richelson said. The shuttle program was halted in January after the
Challenger exploded, killing seven astronauts.
"It would appear that we have at present no means of putting any more
photographic reconaissance satellites into orbit until the shuttle is
operating again," Richelson said, adding that the KH-11 in orbit has 1 1/2 years
left in its useful lifespan.
If it fails before another satellite is launced, "we'll have no coverage
whatsoever," Richelson said.
The Titan on Friday blew up about five seconds after liftoff, said an Air
Force official in Washington who ...
. cNv/^oLft ARIMN rWc ^ IEw,ie &ICwwile
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LEVEL 1 - 20 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright @ 1986 The Washington Post
April 19, 1986, Saturday, Final Edition
SECTION: First Section; Al
LENGTH: 786 words
HEADLINE: Space Program Suffers Setback as Titan Explodes
BYLINE: By Kathy Sawyer and Walter Pincus, Washington Post Staff Writers
KEYWORD: SPACE
BODY:
... Jan. 28, the accident jeopardizes the Defense Department's ambitious
program to place U.S. military intelligence gathering, communications and
navigation gear into space.
It was the second Titan 34D catastrophe in a row, following seven successes,
Air Force officials said, while expressing some bafflement. Last Aug. 28, one of
the workhorse rockets exploded after launch, destroying an $800 million KH11
photo reconnaissance satellite it was to carry into orbit.
The postponement in the shuttle program and now the failure of two Titans
apparently leaves the Air Force with no capability to launch heavier satellites.
Last year, two-thirds of the Pentagon's most critical payloads went on the
shuttle or the Titan.
Titans were scheduled this year to carry two of the Pentagon's Defense
Satellite Communications System III (DSCS), the newest satellites that provide
super-high-frequency ...
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LEVEL 1 - 19 OF 64 STORIES
Proprietary to the United Press International 1986
April 19, 1986, Saturday, AM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 817 words
BYLINE: By ALLEN GREENBERG
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Titan
BODY:
... ability to boost heavy payloads into orbit.
The last launch, on Aug. 25, blew up about two minutes after lift-off from
Vandenberg. That failure was blamed on the premature shutdown of one of the
rocket's two liquid-fueled first stage engines.
Although Air Force officials would only describe the payload lost Friday as
classified, experts said the Titan probably was carrying a $100 million photo -
reconnaissance satellite, the KH-11, a designation for the military codeword
Keyhole.
The United States now has only one such satellite in orbit, and the new loss
could endanger efforts to monitor such situations as Soviet troop movements and
turbulence in the Middle East.
The explosion's impact was heightened by the destruction of the shuttle
Challenger Jan. 28. Shuttles have been grounded until sometime next year and the
two Titan failures probably will force ...
^ '%V/^e iicNv/^c IF awiis MJcs'lis
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LEVEL 1 - 18 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright m 1986 Reuters Ltd.
April 19, 1986, Saturday, PM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 448 words
HEADLINE: SPY SATELLITE REPORTED LOST IN TITAN BLAST, 58 TREATED
BYLINE: By Ronald Clarke
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
blow to the U.S. military's space delivery program, already curtailed by
the suspension of shuttle flights after the January 28 Challenger disaster.
Military officials would say only that the Titan was carrying a secret
military payload when it exploded 300 feet above the base.
But independent scientists who closely follow the space program said they
believed the missile was to have launched a $800 million KH-11 photo
reconnaissance satellite, used to monitor Soviet missile and other
activities.
This would mean only one VH-11 satellite was operating and would seriously
hamper the U.S. monitoring program, the scientists said.
The explosion of the $65 million Titan 34-D rocket, the most advanced of the
series, was the third setback in eight months for the U.S. military satellite
program.
The military has relied on missiles to launch its space payloads since the
Challenger explosion, which ...
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LEVEL 1 - 17 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright 1986 Reuters Ltd.
April 19, 1986, Saturday, AM cycle
^
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 812 words
HEADLINE: SPY CRAFT REPORTED DESTROYED IN TITAN BLAST, 58 TREATED
BYLINE: By Ronald Clarke
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
... missile carrying a spy satellite worth $800 million blew up after launch
last August 28.
Military officials would say only today's Titan was carrying a secret
military payload when it exploded 300 feet above the base.
But independent scientists, who closely follow the space program, said they
believed the missile was to have launched a multi-million dollar KH-11 photo
reconnaissance satellite, used to monitor Soviet missile and other
activities.
This would leave only one KH-11 satellite in the skies at present and would
seriously hamper the U.S. monitoring program, the scientific observers said.
The orange and white toxic cloud yesterday dispersed after drifting towards
the Pacific, but not before schoolchildren in the nearby town of Lompoc had been
told to stay in their classrooms.
Highway and rail traffic also was halted to ...
... sour-smelling cloud descended on their town after the blast.
Titan missiles were placed in silos in Arizona and Kansas as well as in
Arkansas, but they are being replaced by the solid fuel MX missiles.
The Air Force also refused to identify the payload aboard on the booster that
exploded over Vandenburg last August, but published reports at the time
identified it as a KH-11 photo -intelligence spy satellite.
Pentagon officials, who asked not to be identified, expressed disappointment
at today's explosion.
They said they did not know what effect it would have on military launches,
which have been backed up by the suspension of the shuttle program caused by the
Challenger disaster, which killed seven astronauts.
The Titan, built by the Martin Marietta Corp., is America's standard
heavy-duty space workhorse booster and is used for both military and non- ...
r WeEft a i ' viic IF e vv~, ' j ' fIC
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LEVEL I - 16 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright ? 1986 The New York Times Company;
The New York Times
April 19, 1986, Saturday, Late City Final Edition
SECTION: Section 1; Page 1, Column 2; National Desk
LENGTH: 855 words
HEADLINE: TITAN ROCKET EXPLODES OVER CALIFORNIA AIR BASE
BYLINE: By WILLIAM J. BROAD, Special to the New York Times
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., April 18
BODY:
... in Washington, said, ''It's a real crisis.''
The space shuttles, which also carry large military satellites into orbit,
have been grounded while investigators seek the cause of the explosion Jan. 28
of the shuttlecraft Challenger, which killed its crew of seven. Meanwhile, the
military has been forced to rely on unmanned rockets, particulary the Titan, for
launching satellites and other military payloads.
The payload lost today was almost certainly a KH-11 photographic
reconaissance satellite, according to Dr. Stares and Stephen Daggett, a senior
analyst with the Center for Defense Information, a nonprofit organization based
in Washington.
Dr. Stares said that the explosion ''compounds the problems we're already
having with the shuttle.'' He said a KH-11 costs about $500 million, and that if
one were destroyed today ''it means that the United States is currenty dependent
an a single reconnaissance satellite in ...
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LEVEL 1 - 15 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright @ 1986 Reuters, Ltd.;
Reuters North European Service
APRIL 19, 1986, SATURDAY, PM CYCLE
LENGTH: 449 words
HEADLINE: SPY SATELLITE REPORTED LOST IN TITAN BLAST, 58 TREATED
BYLINE: BY RONALD CLARKE
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR BASE, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 19
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
... SPACE DELIVERY PROGRAMME, ALREADY CURTAILED BY THE SUSPENSION OF SHUTTLE
FLIGHTS AFTER THE JANUARY 28 CHALLENGER DISASTER.
MILITARY OFFICIALS WOULD SAY ONLY THAT THE TITAN WAS CARRYING A SECRET
MILITARY PAYLOAD WHEN IT EXPLODED 300 FEET (90 METRES) ABOVE THE BASE.
BUT INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS WHO CLOSELY FOLLOW THE SPACE PROGRAMME SAID THEY
BELIEVED THE MISSILE WAS TO HAVE LAUNCHED A 800-MILLION-DOLLAR KH-11 PHOTO
RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE, USED TO MONITOR SOVIET MISSILE AND OTHER
ACTIVITIES.
THIS WOULD MEAN ONLY ONE KH-11 SATELLITE WAS OPERATING AND WOULD SERIOUSLY
HAMPER THE U.S. MONITORING PROGRAMME, THE SCIENTISTS SAID.
THE EXPLOSION OF THE TITAN 34-D ROCKET, THE MOST ADVANCED OF THE SERIES, WAS
THE THIRD SETBACK IN EIGHT MONTHS FOR THE U.S. MILITARY SATELLITE PROGRAMME.
THE MILITARY HAS RELIED ON MISSILES TO LAUNCH ITS SPACE PAYLOADS SINCE THE
CHALLENGER EXPLOSION, WHICH KILLED THE CREW OF ...
^ J"%VW AiIEWW/IC` ^ 0W/IC IICY!IIC
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LEVEL 1 - 14 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright 1986 Reuters, Ltd.;
Reuters North European Service
APRIL 19, 1986, SATURDAY, AM CYCLE
LENGTH: 452 words
HEADLINE: S. SATELLITE LAUNCHES SUFFER SETBACK IN TITAN EXPLOSION
BYLINE: BY JACQUELINE FRANK
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, APRIL 19
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
... PAYLOADS)," AN AIR FORCE SPOKESMAN SAID.
A 65 MILLION DOLLAR TITAN 34-D MISSILE CARRYING A SECRET MILITARY PAYLOAD
EXPLODED FIVE SECONDS AFTER LIFTOFF YESTERDAY AT VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS WHO CLOSELY FOLLOW THE SPACE PROGRAMME SAID THEY
BELIEVED THE TITAN WAS CARRYING AN 800 MILLION DOLLAR KH-11 PHOTO
RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE, USED TO MONITOR SOVIET MISSILE AND OTHER
ACTIVITIES.
PENTAGON OFFICIALS SAID THEY HAD NO IDEA HOW LONG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE
CAUSE OF THE BLAST WOULD DELAY FUTURE SATELLITE LAUNCHES.
"IT'S GOING TO TAKE A WHILE TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE GOT HERE IN THE WAY OF
DIFFICULTY. IT'S TOO SOON TO TELL," THE AIR FORCE SPOKESMAN SAID.
HEAVY PAYLOADS, SUCH AS ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES WEIGHING ABOUT
25,000 POUNDS (11,300 KG), USUALLY ARE ...
... BLEW UP AFTER LAUNCH LAST AUGUST 28. AN INVESTIGATION OF THAT ACCIDENT
SHOWED THERE HAD BEEN A LEAK IN THE LIQUID FUEL AND A FUEL PUMP FAILURE.
IF, AS THOUGHT BY INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS, THE LATEST TITAN LAUNCH WAS TO PUT
A REPLACEMENT ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE SATELLITE IN OPERATION, ITS LOSS COULD
IMPEDE U.S. ABILITY TO MONITOR SOVIET ACTIVITIES. IT ALSO LEAVES THE UNITED
STATES WITH ONLY ONE KH-11 PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE IN ORBIT.
MILITARY OFFICIALS WOULD SAY ONLY THAT THE TITAN 34-D WAS CARRYING A SECRET
MILITARY PAYLOAD WHEN IT EXPLODED.
^ I" \ V / I A r k *I JETT XV/I&ft I JM%V/IC AN C1V/^C
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LEVEL 1 - 13 OF 64 STORIES
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
April 19, 1986, Saturday, PM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 750 words
HEADLINE: Rocket Blast: 'Looked Like Atom Bomb'
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Rocket Blast
BODY:
... not endangered, the Air Force said. The toxic cloud was pushed out to sea
by the wind.
Numerous grass fires caused by falling debris sputtered around the launch
site for hours, but none was serious, base officials said in a statement. The
only on-base evacuation was of 173 people initially pinned down at the site.
"This will create major problems in the photographic reconnaissance
program, in our confidence in monitoring Soviet military activities at a
critical time," said Paul Stares, a military space expert at the Brookings
Institution in Washington, D.C.
In 1985, space shuttles and Titan 34Ds accounted for two-thirds of satellite
launches, the Air Force said.
Although the Air Force said the payload was classified, the Titan almost
certainly carried either a highly classified KH-11 photo reconnaissance
satellite or a new, previously unknown spy satellite, said Stares and Jeffrey
Richelson, a military reconnaissance expert at American University in
Washington.
In the past, KH-115 have been the only satellites launched from Vandenberg on
Titan 34D rockets, Richelson added.
The Air Force was conducting an investigation into the cause of Friday's
explosion, said Lt. Gen. Jack L. Watkins, the base commander.
Like the ...
... row are pretty bad," Richelson said. "We had 50 successful launches in a
row before this."
With the shuttles sidelined for at least a year, the back-to-back Titan
failures apparently have left the nation with no means of launching heavy
payloads.
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The Associated Press, April 19, 1986
KH-11 satellites, in the view of experts, give the United States the ability
to view objects as small as a license plate. Most recently, aerial photography
from satellites or high-altitude spy planes played a key role in the bombing
raids on Libya.
Such satellites also are used to monitor military movements and production
and deployments of missiles.
If Friday's payload was a KH-11, Richelson said, then the explosion destroyed
the last remaining such satellite. The United States now has only one KH-11 in
orbit. The satellites are designed to operate in pairs.
Richelson and Stares said the ...
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LEVEL I - 12 OF 64 STORIES
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
April 19, 1986, Saturday, AM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 631 words
HEADLINE: Investigation Begins in Explosion of Air Force Rocket
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Rocket Blast
BODY:
... exploded in a fireball that showered the seaside launch pad with flaming
debris and spread a huge toxic cloud of rocket propellants over the Santa
Barbara County coast.
It was the second failed Titan 34D launch in a row. A rocket carrying a KH-11
spy satellite exploded just after liftoff Aug. 28.
"This will create major problems in the photographic reconnaissance
program, in our confidence in monitoring Soviet military activities at a
critical time," said Paul Stares, a military expert at the Brookings
Institution.
The Titan booster cost $65 million, not including the cost of the secret
payload, Maj. Gen. Jack L. Watkins said at a news conference Saturday. Some
aerospace analysts say the payload could. have been an important spy ...
... Space and Missile Center, will head the missile mishap board that is
investigating the explosion, Watkins said. Col. Lee Heinz had been named earlier
to temporarily head the panel.
The last previous launch of a Titan 34D, in August, ended in failure two
minutes into the flight.
Although the Air Force said the payload was classified, the Titan almost
certainly carried either a highly classified KH-11 photo reconnaissance
satellite or a new, previously unknown spy satellite, Stares and Jeffrey
Richelson, a military reconnaissance expert at American University in
Washington, said Friday.
In the past, KH-11s have been the only satellites launched from Vandenberg on
Titan 34D rockets, Richelson said.
Friday's explosion, coupled with the grounding of the space shuttle fleet
after January's Challenger disaster, imperils the U.S. military spy satellite
^ .Xw i ' a^c%v/IO& ^ ~'1-r/^~` UC't7IC
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LEVEL 1 - 11 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright 0 1986 The Washington Post
April 20, 1986, Sunday, Final Edition
SECTION: First Section; Al
LENGTH: 1047 words
HEADLINE: Titan 0-Rings Being Probed By Air Force;
Explosion Cancels Defense Missions
BYLINE: By Jay Mathews, Washington Post Staff Writer; Staff writer Michael
Isikoff contributed to this report.
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Cal.if., April 19, 1
KEYWORD: TITAN
BODY:
Aerospace Division, told a news conference here that the 0-rings would be
among a number of things considered by an Air Force panel investigating the
mishap, but declined to say what investigators are focusing on.
Watkins indicated that the explosion will significantly delay further
launches of the Titan 34D, which in the wake of the Challenger disaster was the
only U.S. vehicle capable of carrying such heavy payloads as the $800 million
KH11 photo reconnaissance satellite, which some experts said was aboard
Friday.
The Air Force would not identify the lost satellite. Some experts also have
speculated that the destroyed payload may have been a secret electronics
communications satellite.
Last year, two-thirds of the Pentagon's most critical payloads traveled into
space aboard the shuttle or the Titan. The shuttle appears to be grounded for at
least a year, and all such launches aboard Titans will be canceled until ...
... Paul Stares, a military space expert at the Brookings Institution, said
the national security implications may be so serious that President Reagan could
be forced to order an emergency launch of the shuttle before design defects
responsible for the Challenger accident are corrected.
Stares and Jeffrey Richelson, a military reconnaissance specialist at The
American University, said the lost payload was probably a KH11 high-resolution
photo reconnaissance satellite that is used to monitor arms control
compliance and other developments inside the Soviet Union as well as troop
movements in the Mideast and other trouble spots. "It's highly likely it was a
KH11," said Richelson. "They are the only thing that has gone up from Vandenberg
in the past that uses Titan 34Ds."
The Air Force reconnaissance system is designed to operate with two KH11s in
orbit at a time, but ...
IF jr_W'%VZ IF eft JL 11 Jr %v/r I cft I A=,%VIF I C Aj C NINT if a
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LEVEL 1 - 9 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright 1986 Reuters Ltd.
April 20, 1986, Sunday, AM cycle
SECTION: Washington Dateline
LENGTH: 618 words
BYLINE: By Jacqueline Frank
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
... launch (heavier payloads)," an Air Force spokesman said.
A $65 million Titan 34-D missile carrying a secret military payload exploded
five seconds after liftoff yesterday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern
California.
Independent scientists who closely follow the space program said they
believed the Titan was carrying an $800 million KH-11 photo reconnaissance
satellite, used to monitor Soviet missile and other activities.
Pentagon officials said they had no idea how long an investigation into the
cause of the blast would delay future satellite launches.
"At this time we have no idea," the Air Force spokesman said. "It's going to
take a while to see what we have got here in the way of difficulty. It's too
soon to tell."
In California today, Vandenberg commander Maj. Gen. Jack ...
... blew up after launch last August 28. An investigation of that accident
showed there had been a leak in the liquid fuel and a fuel pump failure.
if, as thought by independent scientists, the latest Titan launch was to put
a replacement electronic surveillance satellite in operation, its loss could
impede U.S. ability to monitor Soviet activities. It also leaves the United
States with only one KH-11 photo reconnaisance satellite in orbit.
Military officials would say only that the Titan 34-D was carrying a secret
military payload when it exploded 300 feet above the base.
Officials said they had no clue to the cause of the explosion. The Titan,
built by Martin Marietta Corp., is the workhorse of the U.S. space program and
is used to launch both military and civilian satellites.
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LEVEL 1 - 8 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright @ 1986 The New York Times Company;
The New York Times
April 20, 1986, Sunday, Late City Final Edition
SECTION: Section 4; Page 8, Column 1; Week in Review Desk
LENGTH: 261 words
HEADLINE: IDEAS & TRENDS;
Another Setback In U.S. Military's Satellite Program
BYLINE: By Katherine Roberts
BODY:
... seconds after liftoff at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., destroying
its secret military payload.
Since the suspension of space shuttle flights during an investigation into
the causes of the explosion of the shuttle Challenger Jan. 28, the military has
had to rely on unmanned rockets, especially the Titan, its largest, to launch
satellites and other payloads.
Analysts said the payload lost last week was almost certainly a KH-11
photographic reconnaissance satellite, and if that is so the United States
is relying on a single such device. ''If it should fail,'' said Dr. Paul B.
Stares, a military space expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington,
''the U.S. would have no spy satellites over the Soviet Union'' to monitor the
military and check compliance with arms-control agreements.
In the Challenger investigation, meanwhile, the remains of all seven crew
members killed in the Jan. ...
. M?Xvi^MIU AMETNW^OLft ^ !'_'\W/^4Lft UCVVIIC
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LEVEL I - 7 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright fl 1986 The New York Times Company;
The New York Times
April 20, 1986, Sunday, Late City Final Edition
SECTION: Section 1; Part 1, Page 1, Column 5; National Desk
LENGTH: 1152 words
HEADLINE: BLOW TO SECURITY SEEN IN THE LOSS OF TITAN MISSILE
BYLINE: By WILLIAM J. BROAD, Special to the New York Times
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., April 19
BODY:
The loss of a Titan rocket and its secret military payload here Friday
appears to be a serious blow to the national security interests of the United
States, according to aerospace experts outside the Government.
At worst, the experts said today, the loss of an advanced spy satellite,
which is believed to have been carried by the Titan, will make the negotiating
of arms control treaties with the Soviet Union more difficult. Photographs
from such satellites are used to count missiles, to observe the Soviet
military and to monitor compliance with arms control treaties.
Although Air Force officials will say only that the destroyed payload was
secret, aerospace experts outside the Government believe it was a KH-11
photographic reconnaissance satellite that was meant to have been launched
into polar orbit around the earth.
The $65 million Titan 34D and its secret payload exploded in flames just
seconds after liftoff from bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean at this
sprawling Air Force base.
The nation has only one KH-11 satellite in orbit, the experts said. Another
KH-11 satellite - they usually operate in pairs - was lost last August when
another ...
... since 1984. And the lifetime of those satellites is usually about 1,100
days. So we're dawn to a single spacecraft to verify any arms accord. ''
''We've had other kinds of spy satellites in the past," he continued, ''but
they've mostly been phased out in anticipation of more advanced versions to go
on the shuttle.'The military spy satellites are far more advanced than civilian satellites,
which have been used for general photo reconnaissance but cannot approach
the precision necessary for the military's purposes.
Method Sought for Launchings
The aerospace engineer said that to his knowledge, the next generation spy
satellite, the KH-12, was meant to be launched only an the space shuttle,
possibly this year. He said that if did not know if it could be modified to be
,C~V/^/' I-IC'fir/I ^ C%V/IAL% DIC'fir/I&%
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@ 1986 The New York Times, April 20, 1986
launched by an unmanned rocket. Such questions, he said, were probably getting
close attention by the White House National ...
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LEVEL 1 - 6 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright 1986 Reuters, Ltd.;
Reuters North European Service
APRIL 20, 1986, SUNDAY, PM CYCLE
LENGTH: 311 words
HEADLINE: GENERAL SAYS TITAN BLAST PROBE WILL CONSIDER SABOTAGE
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR BASE, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 19
KEYWORD: MISSILE
BODY:
.. TITAN 34-D MISSILE EXPLODED FIVE SECONDS AFTER LIFTOFF FROM THE BASE
ABOUT 100 MILES (160 KM) NORTH OF LOS ANGELES, LEAVING THE U.S. MILITARY WITHOUT
THE MEANS TO PLACE HEAVY PAYLOADS IN ORBIT.
SPACE PROGRAMME OFFICIALS WOULD NOT DISCLOSE THE TITAN'S PAYLOAD BUT
INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS WHO MONITOR. SUCH FLIGHTS SAID THEY BELIEVED IT WAS AN 800
MILLION DOLLAR KH-11 PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE.
A BASE SPOKESMAN SAID A FINAL TALLY TODAY SHOWED 74 PEOPLE ON THE BASE WERE
TREATED FOR SKIN AND EYE IRRITATION CAUSED BY TOXIC GASES RELEASED BY THE
EXPLOSION.
THREE PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL YESTERDAY HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED, HE SAID.
THE EXPLOSION WAS THE SECOND STRAIGHT TITAN FAILURE AND DEALT A SEVERE BLOW
TO THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAMME, STILL REELING FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISASTER IN
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PAGE 6
LEVEL 1 - 5 OF 64 STORIES
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
April 20, 1986, Sunday, AM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 749 words
HEADLINE: Investigation Begins in Explosion of Air Force Rocket
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Rocket Blast
BODY:
.., will be examined, said Watkins, commander of the 1st Strategic Aerospace
Division.
"We had been watching this (launch) anxiously," Watkins said. "Coming hard on
the heels of the Challenger loss, there was more apprehension. ... It's a
setback."
Titan launches from the missile test center will be halted until the cause of
the explosion is known, said Air Force Capt. Rick Sanford, a base spokesman.
"This will create major problems in the photographic reconnaissance
program, in our confidence in monitoring Soviet military activities at a ~_.
critical time," said Paul Stares, a military expert at the Brookings
Institution.
The Titan booster cost $65 million, not including the cost of the secret
payload, Watkins said. Some aerospace analysts say the payload could have been
an important spy satellite.
Watkins said 74 people were examined at the base hospital ...
... Space and Missile Center, will head the missile mishap board that is
investigating the explosion, Watkins said. Col. Lee Heinz had been named earlier
to temporarily head the panel.
The last previous launch of a Titan 34D, in August, ended in failure two
minutes into the flight.
Although the Air Force said the payload was classified, the Titan almost
certainly carried either a highly classified KH-11 photo reconnaissance
satellite or a new, previously unknown spy satellite, Stares and Jeffrey
Richelson, a military reconnaissance expert at American University in
Washington, said Friday.
In the past, VH-11s have been the only satellites launched from Vandenberg on
Titan 34D rockets, Richelson said.
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The Associated Press, April 20, 1986
Friday's explosion, coupled with the grounding of the space shuttle fleet
after January's Challenger disaster, imperils the U.S. military spy satellite
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LEVEL 1 - 2 OF 64 STORIES
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
April 21, 1986, Monday, PM cycle
SECTION: Domestic News
LENGTH: 511 words
HEADLINE: Air Force Begins Probe of Titan Rocket Blast
DATELINE: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.
KEYWORD: Rocket Blast
BODY:
... apprehension. ... It's a setback."
The Titan booster cost $65 million, not including the cost of the secret
payload, Watkins said. Some aerospace analysts say the payload could have been
an important spy satellite.
Air Force Capt. Rick Sanford, a base spokesmam, said Titan launches from the
missile test center will be halted until the cause of the explosion is known.
"This will create major problems in the photographic reconnaissance
program, in our confidence in monitoring Soviet military activities at a
critical time," said Paul Stares, a military expert at the Brookings
Institution.
The solid rockets used for Titan launches are manufactured by United
Technologies, Chemical Systems Division of Sunnyvale. The boosters used by the
space shuttle are made by Morton Thiokol Inc. of Brigham City, Utah.
Calls to United ...
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LEVEL 1 - 3 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright ' 1986 The Christian Science Publishing Society;
The Christian Science Monitor
April 21, 1986, Monday
SECTION: National; Pg. 3
LENGTH: 814 words
HEADLINE: Titan explosion seen as.blow to intelligence
BYLINE: By Scott Armstrong, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
DATELINE: Los Angeles
BODY:
The explosion of a Titan rocket believed carrying a secret spy satellite
appears to have dealt a serious blow to US monitoring capability. It could also
have a major impact on arms-control process.
Although.Air Force officials. will only say the payload lost late last week
was secret, aerospace experts believe it was a KH-11 photo - reconnaissance
satellite. When US intelligence officials keep tabs on Soviet military
maneuverings, they rely heavily on the KH-11.
The KH-11 is equipped with powerful cameras that send back photographs giving
details of everything from Soviet troop movements to aircraft strength to
nuclear missile inventories.
''The KH-11," says one. aerospace analyst, ''is the workhorse of US spy
satellites.''
Now, however, the. US may be facing a blind spot in its ''eye-in-the-sky''
capability that could have national security implications. The US now has only
one such satellite in orbit. It was launched in December 1984, and, with a life
expectancy of only two to three years, may only last another year or so.
''You just can't exaggerate the importance of photo - reconnaissance to US
intelligence gathering,'' says Dr. Paul Stares, a military-space expert at the
Brookings Institution in Washington. ''There must be a lot of nervous people at
the Pentagon right now.''
Lofting a similar satellite quickly appears difficult. Titan launches from
the missile test center at Vandenberg Air Force Base near here will be halted
until.the cause of the explosion is known, says Air Force Capt. Rick Sanford, a
base spokesman.
The only other US launch vehicle capable of carrying such a large payload -
the space shuttle - is already grounded because of the destruction of Challenger
last January. ..
''It is more serious than just affecting the military,'' says one aerospace
expert who requested anonymity, noting the importance of
photo - reconnaissance satellites in verifying compliance with arms-control
treaties. ''it. imperils the entire arms-control process.''
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PAGE , 4
1986 The Christian Science Publishing Society, April 21, 1986
The Titan 34D was destroyed in a fiery explosion a few seconds after liftoff
at Vandenberg's Launch Complex Four, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
There were no serious injuries and damage was said to be limited to the launch
complex itself. An investigation into the cause of the accident - not expected
to be ...
... might have been done to US intelligence gathering capabilities.
KH-11 satellites operate in low-earth orbit and can be maneuvered to monitor
specific areas of the earth.
They are considered valuable in keeping tabs on such things as troop
movements and turbulence in the Middle East. Much of their time is believed to
be spent looking in on the Soviets, since the US can't use another key source of
intelligence-gathering, photo - reconnaissance from aircraft. The US won't
violate Soviet airspace.
The US has other means of monitoring the Soviets from space. This includes
picking up signals with early-warning and electronic surveillance satellites.
But the KH-11 satellites have a few trump cards. They take photos and beam
them to ground stations instantly. The US, experts say, have ''close look''
satellites that are sent up for short periods of time, mainly to monitor crises.
These ...
instantly but drop film for mid-air interception by specially equipped
planes.
The KH-11s are also considered valuable in monitoring the production and
deployment of nuclear missiles and ver.fying arms-control treaties. The US
usually has two of the big satellites operating at any given time. With only one
on orbit now, it leaves the US in a precarious position.
''Our total strategic photo reconnaissance is hanging on one satellite,
says Curtis Peebles, an aerospace analyst who has written widely an
military-space issues.
Some experts say the shuttle is the only vehicle that can launch the next
photo - reconnaissance satellite in the series, the KH-12. So, with the
shuttle program grounded, it could be a long time before it sees duty.
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LEVEL I - 4 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright 6 1986 The Financial Times Limited;
Financial Times
April 21, 1986, Monday
SECTION: SECTION 1; Overseas News; Pg. 4
LENGTH: 206 words
HEADLINE: US Cancels Launches Of Titan Rockets
BYLINE: Nancy Dunne, Washington
BODY:
... agree on future plans for the shuttle, and the loss of the Titan, even
temporarily, will complicate policy formulation further.
With the shuttle grounded for at least another year, military officials have
been insisting that for reasons of national security their payloads will have to
dominate the shuttle schedule when flights are resumed. The cancellation of the
Titan may strengthen their case.
The secret payload carried on Friday is believed to have been a KH-11
photographic reconnaissance satellite headed for a polar orbit around the
earth. KH-11s usually operate in pairs, but there is just one now in orbit and
another is thought to have been destroyed in the last Titan accident in August.
The KH-11 can provide details of Soviet arms control compliance and troop
movements. The accident may, therefore, hinder US-Soviet attempts to conclude
arms control agreements.
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LEVEL I - 1 OF 64 STORIES
Copyright l 1986 The Financial Times Limited;
Financial Times
April 22, 1986, Tuesday
SECTION: SECTION I; American News; Pg. 3
LENGTH: 699 words
HEADLINE: Titan Crash 'Creates Pentagon Blindspot'
BYLINE: Peter Marsh
BODY:
The US may be without any functioning photographic spy satellites after
last Friday's explosion of a Titan 34-D rocket carrying a secret payload, making
the outlook for Pentagon intelligence gathering rather worse than had previously
been thought.
That is the theory of Mr Anthony Kenden, a UK aerospace expert, who says that
the Titan may have been intended to put in orbit a replacement for a previous
spy craft that had become faulty.
Hitherto, it has been ...
... modern spy satellite.
The Pentagon normally likes to keep in orbit at any time two KH-11 craft.
The vehicles carry high resolution cameras to take photos of specific spots on
the earth's surface, one satellite flying over a certain area in the morning and
the other in the afternoon.
The KH-11 vehicles can be supplemented periodically by special "close look"
satellites to take photos of areas that are particulary interesting in
military terms, the Middle East for instance.
Mr Kenden bases his reasoning about the inoperation of the current KH-11
craft on the fact that the launch of Friday's Titan, which exploded seconds
after lift-off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, took place in
the morning.
It had been due to place in orbit a KH-11 vehicle which would have zoomed ...
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