Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • Page 2

2A FLORIDA TODAY, Thursday, January 28, 1988 Foir mGrnorisI dsicjri sky's the limit I I 1 1 i By Jeff Cole and Chet Lunner FLORIDA TODAY As "Space Mirror," the winning design for the Astronauts Memorial, was unveiled in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, a hushed crowd of 150 watched the ceremony in Brevard County, where the memorial will be built. Two of the four architects responsible for the design watched with the group at Spaceport USA, Kennedy Space Center's visitor center, via a satellite hookup. "It's very exciting for us," said architect Peter Pfau, who was at Spaceport with partner Paul Holt The men sat in front of the giant screen in the Galaxy Theater after the model was revealed in Washington by their two partners, Marc Hinshaw and Wes Jones. The four men run an architectural firm in San Francisco. They won $25,000 and the right to negotiate a commission from the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, which wants to build the device at KSC and hopes to establish an educational program to encourage space studies.

The proposed $4 million memorial to America's 14 fallen astronauts would consist of a 40-foot-by-50-foot rectangle faced with a thin granite veneer through which the astronauts' names would be stenciled, allowing sunlight to filter through. The granite facade would reflect Florida's often dramatic sky, and the entire surface would be mounted on a tracking system that would follow the sun's light from dawn to dusk for optimum lighting of the names. "We just get involved in exciting design problems that's what we're all about," Pfau said. "We have created this mirror which reflects the sky, or the heavens," Jones said. "We have intended thereby to make the sky itself really be the memorial, and to inspire in the visitor a contemplative feeling that is charged at the same time with the power of the sky that they're seeing reflected.

And then to place within this context the names of the astronauts." The four architects designed five versions of the model before coming up with the one presented Wednesday, Pfau said. The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, formed by U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson, D-Melbourne, in the aftermath of the Challenger explosion, has raised $4 million from profits on the sale of special Challenger license plates issued by the state. It hopes to have the memorial in place at Spaceport USA by early 1990, and has solicited aerospace industry leaders to provide the device's tracking mechanism.

Four astronauts, Theodore Freeman, Charles Bassett, Elliott See and Clifton Williams, died in jet trainer crashes in the mid-1960s. Gus Gris-som, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died in an Apollo launch pad fire Jan. 27, 1967. Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizu-ka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe perished Jan. 28, 1986, when Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff.

FLORIDA TODAY Gannett News Service Challenger memorial, pose with Ellen and Bruc Jarvis, parents of astronaut Gregory Jarvis. THE WINNERS: Marc Hinshaw and Wes Jones, left, two of four architects of design for the Poll: NASA dragging its feet on manned flight By Paul Hoversten Gannett News Service WASHINGTON Two years after the Challenger explosion, an impatient American public wants astronauts back in space, a Gannett News Service-USA TODAY poll shows. Of 795 people surveyed, 39 percent accuse NASA of foot-dragging in getting the Shuttle ready for launch, an event now scheduled for Aug. 4. The space agency, they say, is "moving too slow" in answering safety concerns.

Forty-five percent say NASA is "moving at about the right speed." Eleven percent say the work rate is "too fast" and 5 percent didn't know. A clear majority 60 percent support President Reagan's new "pathfinder" space policy aimed at developing technology for more lunar landings by 2000 and manned missions to Mars early in the 21st century. Thirty-two percent oppose that idea; 8 percent didn't know. The telephone poll was conducted Jan. 22 to 25 by Gordon S.

Black Corp. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent. Experts warn that public pressure shouldn't override NASA's post-Challenger safeguards, which include redesigning and testing the Shuttle's troubled booster rockets. "The reality is that the (Challenger) investigation revealed a number of flaws," said John Logsdon, head of George Washing Former space leaders slam Shuttle delays ton-University's graduate science program. "And it would be irresponsible to fly until a majority of those flaws are addressed." And NASA is hardly foundering, even with the Shuttle on hold, analysts point out.

Work continues on unmanned rockets and deep-space probes. Says John Pike of the Washington-based Federation of American Scientists: "I'm always surprised at the number of people who think NASA is grounded because of the Shuttle. It's not." But America's next step into space the Reagan space policy will need firm presidential backing to make it through Congress, he said. "It was John Kennedy that decided we were going to go to the Christopher Kraft, former director, Johnson Space Center. marks prepared for delivery today.

Kraft said the Jan. 28, 1986, accident that destroyed the Shuttle Challenger and killed seven astronauts has caused American leaders to once more question the U.S. commitment to space. Phillips said the space program must be reinvigorated. "We must get off the dime and If we see space flight as a necessary element in our formula for national survival, then a 21z-year hiatus (in spaceflight) is totally unacceptable." Associated Press WASHINGTON Two major figures of the highly successful Apollo moon-landing program criticize what one calls a "frankly unnecessary delay" in returning the Shuttle to space and what the other says is "a fear of action, a gridlock to progress" in the U.S.

space program. Christopher Kraft, former director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston and for two decades a key leader in the American space program, said Wednesday the long delay in resuming Space Shuttle flights is "totally unacceptable" if the United States is to remain a major technological power. "If we see space flight as a necessary element in our formula for national survival, then a 2'2-year REP. BILL NELSON: Proposes hearings for NASA whistle blowers. Nelson to check whistle blower 'harassment' By Chet Lunner Gannett News Service WASHINGTON Rep.

Bill Nelson, a Melbourne Democrat whose district includes Kennedy Space Center, said Wednesday he will hold hearings to investigate the attitude of NASA and its contractors toward whistle blowers. In its Feb. 1 editions, Time magazine reports that NASA's vaunted safety reporting systems do not work for people who complain about serious shortcomings or dangerous practices. "Several such whistle blowers have told Time that when they pointed out glaring violations of safety procedures, nothing was done to correct the problems. Instead, they contend, they were harassed, demoted or fired.

Some say they were even threatened by unidentified letter writers and telephone callers," the article said in part. The complaints involved systems as sensitive as the complicated computer software that controls all the systems aboard the shuttles. One worker claimed she had reported problems to NASA, two of its contractors and the FBI, but nothing was done. via, N.Y. "If you look at the discover ries that were an outgrowth of Apollo, take freeze-dried coffee, then an exploration program in.

space will benefit our nation." "Too much emphasis was put-on the accident," said Inwooa, Iowa, homemaker Marilyn Caswell 36. "They've become overcautious. I feel NASA has the technology ands they lost their guts." "It's a waste of money," said unemployed butcher Albert Briscoe, 25, of Pine Bluff, Ark. "I never' did feel that good about man going into space because of the There's still no guarantee an acci'4 dent won't happen again." -i "It's important that we stay-ahead of the Russians," said retired Navy secretary Sarah Olds, 46, pfc Taylorsville, Miss. "I think the Shuttle is a good investment." Discovery launch set for Aug.

4 DISCOVERY, From 1A countdown, will be conducted in July. NASA had planned to launch Discovery on June 2, but that date was scuttled after a Dec. 23 booster test failure. A new target launch date was expected early this week, but NASA's Sarah Kee-gan said the announcement was delayed because of newfound Shuttle hardware prob- lems small cracks discovered during inspections of booster aft skirt segments and in main engine turbo pumps. Those problems, however, are considered minor and should have no affect on an Aug.

4 launch, she said. TODAY DELIVERY: To raport lata dallvary or obtain raplacamant coploa, plaaaa call 259-5000 In Cantral and South Bravard, 631" 2780 In North Bravard, 57-3044 In Indian Rlvar County bafora 10 a.m. dally; Saturday and holldaya bafora 11 a.m., and bafora 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Circulation cuatomor aarvlca houra ara 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

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Subscription rata changaa may ba Implamantad by changing tha duration of tha aubacrlptlon. Skm CIim pot tag paid at Cocoa, 32022. POll ldnlillcllon Numr: 632160 12-25-87 I FROM THE FRONT PAGE i moon," Pike said. "That's the only way you can do something like this. There's no way you can justify these programs on scientific or economic angles alone." That's where intangibles like public sentiment can help, says David Norton, aerospace chief of the Houston Area Research Center, who helped design the Shuttle.

Space travel, he says, is "in our heritage. We're on the track, and this chapter is not finished. We've spent $100 billion getting to the place where we are, and we may not even get to eat the dessert." Thoughts from some of those polled: "We've been distracted as a country from things that made us great," said Irvin Morgan, 37, a management consultant in Cazeno- start doing something right now. That means the president, the Congress and NASA," Phillips said in the text of the annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Lecture he will deliver at the National Air and Space Museum today. "Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson were personally committed to the space program and they articulated that commitment to the Congress," Phillips said in his prepared remarks.

"Unfortunately, we haven't seen a high level of presidential support since the end of the first Nixon administration. "I'm convinced that if we had committed to a Mars mission in 1969 with the same kind of determination and support we gave to the Apollo program, today we'd be in the final stages of a Mars voyage, rather than being 20 years away as we still are." in Massachusetts. The program is sponsored by NEA's National Foundation for the Improvement of Education as part of its Christa McAuliffe Institute. Today is the second anniversary of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in which McAuliffe and six fellow astronauts died. FLORIDA Established March 21, 1966, by Gannett Co.

Inc. Allen H. Neuharth Chairman Vol. 22, No. 315 Thursday, January 28, 1988 Published mornings and Sunday by Caps Publications Gannett Plaza, Melbourne, Fla.

32940. Mailing address: P.O. Box 363000, Melbourne, Fla. 32936. Frank Vega, Publisher Chief Executive Officer Vince Spezzano, Chairman of the Board SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (par wuk) DallySunday 12.75 Dally only t2M Sunday only 25 USA TODAY (Monday-Friday) $2.50 DallySunday with USA TODAY, Monday-Friday Dally only with USA TODAY, Monday-Friday All payabla to carriar In advanca.

Yaarly rata and mall rata available oraquaat. NEA names five teachers to lead technology conference Suit asks: Oh, by the way, which one's Pink? hiatus (in space flight) is totally unacceptable," Kraft said in a speech to a National Geographic Society audience. Meanwhile, Gen. Samuel Phillips, who organized the Apollo management system, blamed a lack of leadership from the White House, Congress and NASA for malaise in the American space effort in re each for designing the August conference to bring together 20 other teachers to explore creative classroom uses of technology. The five are Merlyn Chan, a sixth-grade science teacher at Skyline Elementary School in Daly City, Ronald Fortunato, a science teacher at Norfolk Techni wrote a whole column about the song and how it was sung." "Someone sent that column of Runyon's to the head of Paramount Pictures and the top man there said, 'Say, we ought to keep this And they did." Asked if he has tired of "Memory," Hope said: "I love singing that song.

I don't end a show without it. Wherever I go, as soon as the audience hears those first notes, they recognize the song immediately it seems to mean something to everybody, something special." Chinese break dance; parents lose face Chinese youngsters are crazy about breakdancing but their parents are not amused, a state-run newspaper said Wednesday. The China Daily said young people have been spinning away their time at dance halls since the recent showing of the American film "Breakdance" in najor cities I Associated Press WASHINGTON The National Education Association named five teachers Wednesday to lead a conference on technology in memory of teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe. The teachers will receive $5,000 GILMOUR HOPE Hope feels his theme has retained its charm Bob Hope has been singing the same old song for 50 years, and he says it hasn't lost its charm. The 84-year-old entertainer introduced "Thanks for the Memory" in his first movie, "The Big Broadcast of 1938," and the tune that was to become his theme song also made his film career, he said recently.

"It was the thing that saved me in pictures, that song," Hope said. "Damon Runyon, then one of the top newspapejnen in the world, I 1 cal Vocational School in Virginia; Jeff Holte, a sixth-grade science, social studies and communications teacher at Central Middle School in Eden Prairie, Gail Morse, a science teacher at J.M. Alexander Junior High School in Huntersville, N.C., and Alan November, a science teacher at Wellesley Middle School introduced the dance. The newspaper said many youngsters neglect their school-work, including a 16-year-old girl who missed three months of school so she could dance. A 14-year-old boy took money from his parents to buy tickets to dance halls and another boy who saw the movie eight times said there is nothing to life but dancing, the report said.

Also The rock group Def Leppard canceled its Feb. 15 concert in El Paso, Texas, after receiving death threats stemming from an ethnic slur made by the band's lead singer five years ago, a publicist says. The anger stems from a comment lead singer Joe Elliott made at a Tucson, concert on Sept. 7, 1983. Elliott told the crowd that the band had played the day before in El Paso, "that place with all the greasy Mexicans." Elliott later apologized.

Compiled by Terry hikesell Former Pink Floyd bass player Roger Waters is suing his old band for using the name "Pink Floyd" on their 27-city world tour. "My reasons for not wanting them to use the name are straightforward: I don't think you can describe the duo of David Gilmour and Nick Mason as Pink Floyd," he said. "Roger doesn't have a leg to stand on. He left the band willingly and of his own accord," Gilmour said. "We had always done things through compromise, and later on Roger wasn't willing to accept that." Waters has been on tour for his "Radio K.A.O.S." album with his new Bleeding Heart Band while Gilmour tours with original Pink Floyd members Mason and Richard Wright.

Pink Floyd began in England during the drug daze of the late '60s by two students from Cambridge, Syd Barrett and Waters. They were the first British group to do light shws in concert..