Approved For Release 2000/08/08
              SAV cripp
         W
         By Warren Strobel
         THE WASHINGTON TIMES
              Problems aboard a Soviet read
         -powered spy satellite should not af-
         fect "US. efforts to develop new
         sources of nuclear power for the
         Strategic Defense Initiative and
         other space programs, Reagan ad-
         ministration officials and a key sen-
         ator said yesterday
         The officials indicated they will
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         ".- 9 1 ~_
         opp6se proposals for a joint U.S,-
         Soviet ban on putting nuclear reac-
         tors in orbit. Those proposals were
         made in the wake of Moscow's rev-
         elation in May that it had lost radio
         contact with the satellite, which is
         used to track U.S. naval fleets and is
         expected to re-enter the Earth's at-
         mosphere this fall.
              Rep. George Brown, California
         Democrat, introduced legislation
         yesterday that would prohibit the
         ect U.S. SDI,61anS
         -
         that I don't believe any of us are wise
         enought to dismiss before the 21st
         century even begins.
              . "There is also a marked contrast
         between current Soviet safety prac-
         tices and those we will follow with
         space nuclear reactors," said Mr.
         Johnston,' chairman of the Senate
         Eq!qrgy and '~ak`ural Resources
         Cornmitt66.
              committee yesterday
         convened a bearing on the fate of
         Cosmos 1900, as the Soviet satellite
         is designated, and its impact on US.
         space nuclear power research.
              Col. Henry Culbertson, an official
         of the U.S. Space Command in Colo-
         rado Springs, Colo., which tracks
         some 7,200 objects in orbit, said the
         satellite is expected to return to
         Earth some time late this month or
         early next month.
              The command will not know even
         approximately where Cosmos 1900,
         united states from launching nucle-
         ar-powered spacecraft, except those
         used on planetary probes or lunar
         missions, if the president certifies
         that the Soviets will do likewise.
              But a fellow Democrat, Sen. J.
         Bennett Johnston of Louisiana, said
         the legislation would "throw tile
         good out with the bad." lie added
         that "there are some very attractive,
         far-term potential applications of
         space nuclcar reactors, applications

         which carries about 11' pounds of
         uranium, will fall until two days be-
         fore re-entry, Col. Culbertson said.
         He said there are two automatic
         safety sYsfiam~ "on board - one
         which would boost the reactor to a
         higher, long-term orbit and another
         that Would jettison it toward the
         Earth, where it should be consumed
         by the heat of re-entry.
              The United States has not
         launched a nuclear-powered space-
         craft since 1977, but the Energy De-
         partment is studying at least five
         different space nuclear power
         sources.
         Approved For Release 2000/08/08: CIA-RDP96-00789ROO0400400001-3