The White Falcon - 28.07.1978, Side 1

BEING CONSTRUCTED is the Interim Terminal Satellite's 58 foot shell. It's
a large job and is soon to be completed. (Photo by JOSA Paula Ritrovato)
Satellite antenna invades base
By JOSA Paula Ritrovato
There seems to be a weird massive
golfball-like object .growing here on
base near the water tower along Inter-
national Highway.
No, it's not a new radar invention,
museum or experimental laboratory.
This is an Interim Satellite Terminal,
an Army procured MSG-46, in simpler
terms a terminal containing an antenna
which sends and receives communications
from a satellite. Messages will ter-
minate from Ft. Detrick MD and be re-
ceived by our 1ST here via satellite.
The project was advised by the Joint
Chiefs of Staff to help improve commun-
ications here in Naval Station Kef-
lavik. The antenna will aid in tele-
phone and data communications but will
not aid television in any way.
The structure you see is made of
hundreds of large triangles which are
lifted by crane and bolted together to
form a huge sphere. This serves as a
protective shell for the satellite an-
tenna which will be installed inside.
When finished, the sphere will be
completely enclosed and have a 58 foot
diameter. The 40 foot antenna will
then be assembled piece by piece inside
the shell and be positioned in the mid-
dle of the concrete base.
The shell's individual triangles are
made of a tough fiberglass cloth with a
white vinyl coating. The triangle's
frame is made of aluminum. This may
not sound too sturdy to withstand harsh
weather but the ball structure and ma-
terials do offer much protection.
Other ISTs built in the United States
and around the world have withstood
winds up to 100 mph and the structure
will officially stand winds up to
150 mph.
The project is under the guidance
and supervision of the United States
Naval Communications Station (COMSTA)
who will operate and maintain the site
when the 1ST is completed.
Other personnel from all services
are involved in the evolution of this
project.
The 436 Dover AFB detachment, a sub-
ordinate of Military Airlift Command
(MAC) flew the project here from
Hawaii. It took four C-5A aircraft,
two to carry the antenna and another
two to carry the sphere.
Men from the United States Army Com-
munication Electronics Installation
(CEI) Batallion, Co. B, Ft. Huachuca,
AZ arrived July 5 and started construc-
tion July 12.
Other organizations involved in con-
struction are the US Army Satellite
Communications Agency, Ft. Mammoth, NJ,
Hughes Aircraft Corp. (the building of
the satellite system), and local sup-
port is being provided by ROICC and
NAVSTA Public Works.
"While a completion date of the 1ST
project is not yet firm, a calculated
November "78" date is in view," said
Heinz G. Strobel the engineering pro-
ject officer and Captain J.D. Lawrence,
head of COMSTA.
150,000 Active Navy to be
screened for asbestos hazard
As many as 150,000 active duty Navy
and 70,000 civilian personnel will be
included in an expanded medical surveil-
lance program of people who may have
been exposed to airborne asbestos.
In recent years, it has been dis-
covered inhalation of airborne asbestos
fibers can lead to serious health
problems.
The program is made up of two phases.
In phase one, active duty uniformed and
civilian employees who might have been
exposed to asbestos will be identified
through a questionnaire. During phase
two, those who may have been exposed
will be interviewed and receive a
medical exam.
The initial phase of the new program
is underway. Physical exams required as
a result of phase one already have begun
for Navy civilian employees. Distri-
bution of the questionnaire for military
personnel will begin in Sept, with
medical exams to begin shortly there-
after.
The 20 Navy ratings with the highest
potential risk of exposure to airborne
asbestos will receive the questionnaires
and be interviewed. Those ratings are:
CM, MM, BU, BT, MR, HT, CE, EN, MT, ML,
AS, UT, EM, AMS, AME, SH, TM, OM, GM,
and EO.
Those who are identified for
continued medical surveillance will be
monitored for the duration of their
Federal service. After they leave
Federal service, they will be counseled
on the need for continued surveillance
by private physicians.
57th names wife of the year
The 57th FIS has nominated Sandra
Jean Dutter as their choice for Air
Forces Iceland Wife of the Year.
Mrs. Dutter arrived in Keflavik with
her husband, Technical Sergeant Paul J.
Dutter and their four children in May
1977. They live on base and are active
members of the Protestant Chapel Commun-
ity . Mrs Dutter is currently thev
Social Chairman of the Protestant Wonmen
of the Chapel, (PWOC) the Treasurer of
the Windbreaker Wives Club and the man-
ager of the Base Mini-Mart.
Mrs Dutter has planned and assisted
in community relations projects such as
the International function of the PWOC
where they met 52 women from Reykjavik
June 5 at the Top of the Rock.
She improves life for service members
by helping with the Chili suppers at the
USO, made the curtains at "The Wall"
coffee house or by baking cookies for
the people stationed in Hofn. This is
all in addition to her job in the Navy
Exchange and her family responsibilities.
Mrs Dutter will be recognized in a
ceremony where time and place is to be
announced.
Air Force to review pap smears
error affects 32,000 tests
The Air Force plans to re-examine some
32,000 pap smears as one of several pre-
cautions taken because a contractor mis-
classified a portion of pap smears taken
during June-September 1977.
The contractor was serving approxi-
mately 74 stateside and 20 overseas Air
Force bases during the time in question.
A team of Air Force medical special-
ists will begin reexamining the slides
July 17 at Brooks AFB, Te> The team
will notify bases involved of slides
showing results significantly different
from those reported by the contractor.
Base medical personnel will telephone
the woman and suggest appropriate action.
Local officials will also advise the
screening team within 48 hours that the
woman has been notified, or provide in-
formation about her current location, if
known.
Air Force officials said the review of
the slides should be completed by the end
of September.
The contractor involved was Automated
Medical Services of Ohio, Inc. (AMSO),
Mansfield, Ohio. The contract expired in
September 1977.
In addition to the slides, the Air
Force will use other available AMSO re-
cords to attempt to locate women whose
pap smears the contractor examined before
June 1977. Those women will be advised
to consult a physician about the possible
necessity for another examination if they
have not had a subsequent pap smear at a
medical facility other than those under
AMSO contract.
TO BE INSTALLED in its huge golfball-like shelter (upper left) is the Interim
Satellite Terminal Antenna which will aid in NAVSTA Keflavik communications.
Miss Iceland
to visit
tomorrow
Miss Iceland, Halldora
Bjork Jonsdottir, will be ar-
riving to tour the base tomor-
row afternoon. She will then
attend an evening dinner at
the Top of the Rock. The
Youth Center disco dance will
be visited by Miss Iceland
that evening.
Miss Iceland will compete
in the Miss Scandinavia beauty
pageant this October and Miss
Universe in 1979.