Word: orbital
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...operatives." Beyond risking exposure abroad, this meant that the "unprofessional" operation was never guided at home by people who understood such essentials as the "situation in Iran; the difficulties of dealing with terrorists; the mechanics of conducting a diplomatic opening." Charged the board: "The operation functioned largely outside the orbit of the U.S. government ((and)) was not subject to critical reviews of any kind...
...take-charge junior staff aide "made most of the significant operational decisions" on the Iran initiative and ran an extensive supply network for the contras, yet he and his associates "functioned largely outside the orbit of the U.S. Government. Their activities were not subjected to critical reviews of any kind." The result was "unprofessional" and "unsatisfactory"; in negotiating with Iran, North failed to achieve even his own questionable goals. "The U.S. hand was repeatedly tipped and unskillfully played," said the commission. "Repeatedly, Lieut. Colonel North permitted arms to be delivered without the release of a single captive...
...thundered into space last week, the tall, slender rocket looked like hundreds of satellite boosters launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Despite a drizzling rain, the blast-off put a marine observation satellite into orbit without a hitch. The launch pad, though, was not in California or Florida. It was on Tanegashima Island, and the rocket bore on its side, in prominent black letters, a single word: NIPPON...
...proposed system of smart rocks is a far cry from the original, exotic technologies. One plan was to use laser weapons in space, but the generators have proved too heavy to put into orbit. Researchers are now considering a more complicated plan to use ground-based lasers and bounce the beams off mirrors in space. Attempts to develop neutral particle beams or electromagnetic "rail guns" have likewise proved difficult...
Even the smart-rock technology faces daunting obstacles. According to the most optimistic projections, such a system would require putting more than 6 million lbs. into orbit, the equivalent of 125 space-shuttle loads. Nor have scientists come up with a workable way to discriminate between thousands of incoming warheads and ten times as many decoys. Perhaps the major unresolved issue is survivability. "Satellites in orbit are sitting ducks," says one expert, "far easier to hit than ICBMs in ballistic trajectories...