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Show Wednesday, October NASA WASHINGTON astronauts have astronauts involved in - (AP) flown jets NASA danger- ously close to other airplanes at least three times since May last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. The NTSB, in a report to NASA administrator Richard Truly, said NASA's jet fleet has aged and substandard communications equipment and the agency should correct problems "before other dangerous situations are created." The board said the three were among seven incidents since 1986 in which astronauts flew jets below assigned altitudes. In the closest encounter, veteran Navy Capt. David M. Walker on May 15, 1989, flew his T38 jet within 100, feet vertically and 700 feet horizontally of a Pan Am jetliner with 176 people on board. The Walker incident happened near Dulles International Airport as the shuttle commander arrived near-collisio- area to be congratulated the next day by Presiin the Washington dent Bush for completing a successful mission, Walker's second. The Pan Am crew "could make out the tail number on the airplane," Tim Borson, an NTSB investigator told the board members at a hearing Tuesday. None of the NASA pilots was identified in the NTSB report to Truly. Walker's involvement was known at the time. He was suspended in July along with Navy Cmdr. Robert L. Gibson, who was being disciplined in an unrelated matter. Walker was also replaced as commander of a space shuttle mission scheduled for next year. Borson said during the third quarter of 1990 alone, astronauts flew NASA's 28 T38s an average of 843 times a month and that the planes were used for 697 crosscountry flights. The T38 is a .high performance jet capable of flying at 1.6 times the speed of sound. Crossword near-miss- es The safety board was critical of the T38s, and said NASA's communications equipment was "outdated and far from It recommended astronauts fly with an additional crew member when landing or taking off in busy airports and urged that NASA instruct its pilots to write down flight controllers' instructions. All three incidents discussed at the NTSB meeting could have been averted if a second crew member had been flying in the T38, NTSB said. "Jim Burnett, a member of the NTSB, noted that writing down altitudes is common practice in cockpits. "It's a sound operating principle that is not yet a NASA policy," Borson said. The board recommended that the equipment on board the jets be modernized to include more safety features. The changes are needed, NTSB state-of-the-ar- said in a letter to Truly, "to reduce the potential for human error." Truly called the NTSB report "thorough and constructive" and said NASA would consider all of the recommendations. "In fact," he said, "the agency is now in the process of implementing one of the recommendations, upgrading the T38 avionics." Avionics are electric components, including altimeters and other instruments. In 1987, one of NASA's T38s was struck by lightning and was landed while on fire. Afterward, NASA proposed an equipment improvement .rogram for its fleet but the first prototype won't be put together until next year. Another of the three occurred on Sept. 17, 1989, when a NASA pilot returning from a training session at Edwards Air Force Base in California flew 2,000 feet below his assigned altitude and "conflicted" with a Piper Cheyenne over Texas, the NTSB said. 5 9 14 15 ACROSS Coffee Cuckoo Takes no food Yoked beasts Atoll 16 Computer 1 fodder 18 Look over 19 Put away 20 Start weight near-collisio- 41 strange No more "bedfellows make politics" jokes, please. Forget the snide allusions to Juan and Eva Peron, to Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. William and Lois Shepard, the Republican candidates for governor and lieutenant governor of Maryland, have heard it all. They just want to be taken seriously in their campaign against Gov. William Donald Schaefer. It has been three months since Shepard announced that his wife, Lois, would be his running mate. He searched the state's thin ranks of Republican officials for a lieutenant governor candidate. He was turned down at least twice. Then he turned to his wife. "I thought it would be newsworthy. I didn't anticipate it would become an issue in and of itself," formsaid Shepard, a er Foreign Service officer. Top Republican officials were looking for a credible candidate to challenge an incumbent governor with a public approval rating of about 70 percent. Many thought Shepard's decision to select his wife as his running-mat- e turned a serious challenger into a novelty candidate. But Lois Shepard is a Vassar College graduate and former teacher listed in "Who's Who in American Politics" and "Who's Who Among U.S. Women." Under President Reagan, she was director of the Institute of Museum Services, an independent federal agency that hands out grants to American museums. She was chairman of Republicans Abroad International from 1981 to 1986 and has held other party positions as well. The Shepards see themselves as pioneers, part of a new wave of politics in which women will play an increasingly larger role. "There are very few Barbara Bushes left in the world that are really content to be a political wife, the mother and the grandmother," Lois Shepard said. "That's fine. If that's your choice, great, go for it." But that's not the choice that will be made by "most women today coming up in the political system, whether it's their husbands who are politically active or they are," she said. "There's going to be some kind of reshuffling of the relationships ... Now, whether we will set the example, I don't know." Shepard's decision to put his wife on the ticket cost him the support of Rep. Helen Bentley, the most powerful Republican official in Maryland. An early Shepard supporter, Bentley deserted him after his July announcement and encouraged Ross Z. Pierpont to enter the race. Most Republican leaders came around after Shepard's narrow 52 percent to 48 percent victory over Pierpont in the September primary. But Bentley's endorsement at a unity breakfast could hardly have been less enthusiastic. She was asked if it was difficult to endorse Shepard over Schaefer, with whom she has had a long and close working relationship. "It's not easy, but it's politics, you know. I have a job to do," she replied. Pierpont, a frequent candidate for public office, says that "if we were at a party and someone thought this up, it would be cute." "The two of them together make an insanity of the whole thing." Lois Shepard, 52, insists that most voters are taking her candidacy seriously. The only group that has been a difficult sell is "the kind of middle-aged group in the Republican the most conservaThat's Party. tive in terms of, 'It's not what we're used to,'" she says. Young - with President Bush, and they've got their reasons. They couldn't get to the White House for a taping. The quality of the footage is bad. They don't have money to buy the TV time. Endorsements don't work in their race. And, well, maybe it's not such a good idea to latch onto a guy whose ratings are slipping. Who promoted a wildly unpopular budget plan. Who's part of the Washington establishment that this year's candidates love to hate. "If something is radioactive, your natural inclination is to stay a. - The Pen(AP) tagon is considering a new wave of troop deployments to the Persian Gulf, officials said Tuesday. Such a move would take the gulf buildup force now beyond the 240,000-troo- p planned. The decision is important because the deployment of more American ground units to Saudi Arabia could transform Operation Desert Shield from a force capable only of defending against a possible Iraqi attack to one tailored to launching an offensive. Officials also said evidence is emerging that U.N. economic sanctions against Iraq for its Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait are beginning to hamper Iraqi military operations. Pete Williams, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, said more than 210,000 U.S. forces now are in and around Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield to defend the desert kingdom against a possible Iraqi attack. That's 10,000 more than the last official count issued by Cheney on Oct. 13. Williams said Gen. Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Saudi Arabia this week to consult with U.S. and Saudi officials on the possible need to expand Desert Shield deployments, which President Bush ordered Aug. 7. Powell will report his recommendations to Cheney after returning to Washington on Thursday, Williams said. "Then those decisions will be made on whether additional forces need to be sent or not," Williams said. "So I don't want to ... signal that the deployment is nearly comthat's a decision that will plete be made in part this week by Gen. Powell's visit." In comments to reporters in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, Powell said Tuesday that he and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, the mander com- of all U.S. forces in the gulf area, had "explored all options" for Desert Shield. Powell declined to comment specifically on additional troop deployments. Williams said it had been planned all along that U.S. troop requirements in the gulf would be reassessed once the initial round of deployments was nearing completion. U.S. ground forces in Saudi Arabia now include four Army divisions, three Marine Corps expeditionary brigades, an air defense artillery brigade, a mechanized infantry brigade and an armored cavalry regiment. Also in the gulf area are more than 500 aircraft and 55 ships, including aircraft carriers and a battleship. An Army source, speaking on the I E1iim''."i 39 47 I 34 I 40 45 I 1 48 52 ii- 53 50 " 8 Raised mark Stay awake Algerian i.i. 37 36 35 IV iiii'll 51 Tabu Beds 55 56 57 64 65 66 58 jjj ,.J . 60 59 port Sediment ng 56 Insect 57 Wander about 61 62 63 64 65 66 Schaefer has virtually ignored his GOP challenger. The governor's aides are counting on Schaefer's popularity, a big Democratic voter registration g edge and his huge lead in to carry Schaefer to victory Nov. 6. The latest polls show Schaefer with a huge lead. fund-raisin- Squandered Theater box 9 Of finances 10 Actress Susan Utter 11 pompcjsly 12 Rotates 13 Let it stand 21 Fencing sword i7 Flenthr.ian diplomat Worn Voluptuous DOWN Smaii amount Bunyan's tool Irritate Picnic pests Field event item 6 Tie others 7 Custard 8 Care for Puzzle Solved: a x 3 45 I with ill will 46 s 3 3 njis v n 3 a B 3 hnv n d "is 3 dlsi-i- lmi sni in 0m dms S I t ofTdTnm TrslJih Urn 0! Wj VI 1 v a pompously Treated sjfo 7TaIlE!53flIIi.I wThXT Tip I More docile Sleep noise Cut wood Author Paton 44 Active powers tart Adam's grandson 54 Mardi 58 Mineral rock 59 60 Month 49 Platform 51 Stinger 52 Ice house suddenly 36 37 39 43 53 48 Apart )rom 23 Fishing net 24 Street show 25 Point of view 29 Courage 30 Demolish 31 Burden 33 Boy: Sp. 34 Soft drink 35 Declaim Melody Isr. 1990 Tribune Media Services. Inc Rights Reserved All 22 Descend Moses er people relate to the Shepard candidacies and older people "love it," she says. V tliin 3UiniouvAVri i"h "IS ULoMjuij Physique Balloon device opens blocked fallopian tubes - CHICAGO (AP) A new device offers help to hundreds of thousands of infertile women by opening their blocked fallopian tubes with a balloon, doctors reported. The technique is similar to the use of balloons to open the clogged arteries of heart patients. The balloon is mounted on a flexible tube called a catheter and threaded through the womb into one of the fallopian tubes, which connect the uterus to the ovaries. Once the balloon is in place, doctors inflate it to open the passage. The procedure requires neither surgery nor anesthesia and could help up to a third of the approximately 1 million women with blocked fallopian tubes, said Dr. Edmond Confino, lead author of a study documenting the technique's success. It could reduce by the cost of treating women with blockages, who now usually choose between microsurgery or test-tub- e fertilization, the researchers said in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. But one surgeon not involved in the study said he believes the technique will offer no significant advantages over simple catheterization to clear blocked fallopian tubes. "I'm not against the technique, it's just another variation," said Dr. Rafael Valle, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. Confino said the balloon device is superior to regular catheterization because it causes far fewer puncture wounds and provides longer-lastin- g results. "Some of these tubes can remain open for a year or a year-and-- a half," said Confino, director of education in obstetrics and gyne AP Laserphoto Seth Shepard and his wife Lois campaign governor and lieutenant governor in Maryland. William ads against Bush's budget compromise. 10 McCrery coasted to points ahead of a Democrat who had been expected to give him trouble, and a winning strategy was born. for two-thir- Bush has been welcomed and feted all over the country as a for the cheerleader and fund-raissame candidates who have vetoed his presence. The decision most often is explained diplomatically. "We've chosen to push John's agenda with our television ads, rather than having the president do it for us," said John Truscott, a spokesman for Michigan guberna er on-a- ir torial candidate John Engler. "We're concentrating on Wyoming issues rather than Washington," was a comment typical of many campaigns. "We'd like to keep our advertising focused on the candidate," was another. Some had other reasons. A spokesman for Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G. Thompson said video footage of Bush's June trip there was of such poor quality that it won't be aired. And Michigan state Rep. Dave Camp, trying for an open House seat, couldn't make a taping session. "They wanted us in Washington the next day," said his campaign manager, John Guzik. Pentagon considers deploying more soldiers to Persian Gulf WASHINGTON 46 13 12 11 '27 42 1 collections post-prima- away from it," said Craig Tufty, a spokesman for Rep. Fred Grandy, Is there a Bush endorsement in Grandy's future? "We don't have one," said Tufty, "and we don't plan on getting one." Bush has taped about 100 endorsement spots for Republican House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates. But an Associated Press spot check of campaigns across the country indicates few are finding their way onto the airwaves. Many candidates seem to be taking their cue from freshman Rep. Jim McCrery of Louisiana. He scrapped plans to show his ad with Bush before the state's unique open primary on Oct. 6. Instead, he ran I ho 19 31 """ w Squabble I "T33 ""ZmbIiii 43 TX shrine 44 Military truant 45 Roof fixer 46 tool 49 Health club 50 Before 51 End of motto 55 Brother of Many GOP candidates shelving Bush ads WASHINGTON (AP) Droves of Republican candidates are shunning television ads of themselves " 41 Desires Roams i ? IS 29 38 la la Cat's-pa- I J26 32 -Place Page D3 42 Literary Gubernatorial candidate puts wife on ticket Md, (AP) 25 28 watcher's motto 23 26 27 28 30 32 33 34 38 39 40 I Is fj 17 Topic Metal-shapi- ANNAPOLIS, h 2T" 23 - by C raig Schultz b 1 THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, 24, 1990 condition of anonymity, said it was also possible that Powell would recommend reducing the number of American forces in the region, depending on military estimates of Iraq's troop strength and other factors. Bush repeatedly has said he has not ruled out the use of force to push Iraqi troops from occupied Kuwait. Williams said U.S. intelligence estimates put Iraqi troop strength in Kuwait and southern Iraq at 430,000 unchanged over the last month. He added that American authorities have no evidence to substantiate recent news reports that Iraqi forces are pulling back from the Saudi border to fortify defenses to the north. The Iraqi military remains capable of launching an offensive strike with little warning, Williams said, although its operations are starting to be hurt by the effects of the U.N. sanctions, which have cut off most trade with Iraq. Williams cited Iraq's recent announcement of rationing civilian gasoline supplies as a sign that even the military is threatened by the economic embargo. He said the Iraqi military is short of tires, spare parts and other supplies and has been forced to make "some adjustments" in its operations in Kuwait. t at Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Chicago. The balloon device and the technique, called transcervical balloon tuboplasty, is awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval. In tests, the procedure opened one or both tubes in about 135 of 150 women, and about 45 conceived, Confino said. Confino said the journal report covered the first 77 subjects, of whom 71 had one or both fallopian tubes cleared. Six couldn't be cleared. In 13 of the 77, additional blockages were discovered farther up cology the tubes toward the ovaries, where they could not be cleared, the report said. Among the remain- 22 became pregnant within a year, it said. Seventeen had normal deliveries, while five miscarried. One patient had a pregnancy that developed outside the womb, which had to be ended, the researchers said. In two cases of the 77, the tuboplasty procedure punched a hole in the wall of the pinpoint-siz- e fallopian tube, but no complications resulted, the researchers said. Valle noted that balloon tuboplasty is appropriate only for fallopian tubes blocked by soft matter such as mucous plugs, not hard scar tissue or fibrous tissue like the type found in uterine tumors called fibroids. Scar tissue and fibrous tissue must be removed by surgery, he said. Confino acknowledged that limitation. The procedure is expected to cost only about a third as much as test-tub- e fertilization, which usually totals about $6,000 and succeeds only about 20 percent of the time. Also, in vitro fertilization can only result in a single pregnancy, he said.-- ing 64 subjects, fj y I ' " ('' I I '' t y i v m S - s ' - .. '" v r J; nii-- . , ' A j. I 1 f jufi i AP Laserphoto Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell signs the cast of Air Force 1st Lt. Barbara Stockton of St. Petersburg, Fla., during a visit to an air base in Saudi Arabia Tuesday. |