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Show SAN JUAN-RECORDMONTICELLO, UT^ 7!May 6 Athena firings to continue from Green River May 14 Continued test firings of the Athena missile from Green River to White Sands Missile Range will resume on Thursday, May 14, according to the White Sands information office. Firings of the 55-foot-long missile were suspended after j the first shot in the series on Feb.; 10 strayed from its course and impacted near Durango, Colo. instead of at White Sands. A total of 75 to 80 firings of '• the Athena, a test vehicle designed to study the problems of nose cone re-entry, will be made by the Air Force .and Atlantic Research Co.rp,,'build-1 ers of the missile, over, .an" 18-1 month period. INVESTIGATION A thorough investigation of the previous missile malfunction has been completed by the Air Force and the first firing of the series had been earlier set for May 11. STAGE DROP One stage of the Athena, which flies high over San Juan County on its flight to White Sands, impacts in a designated dropout area in the Hatch Mesa, Indian Creek areas. This area will be evacuated of all inhabitants for a 12-hour period during the^test firings. leading into the area will be posted showing the time of firings and when residents should stay clear. Range safety aaad the A-thena's flight will toe monitored by White Sands Missile Range. Test, data <of re-entry phenomena will aid in the development of advanced reentry systems. " San Juan County, under contract with White Sands, will .provide a depaaty to notify individuals in the dropout zone of the firing times and signs MIDNIGHT RIDE - Atlantic Research engineers at Green River, ready ATHENA re-entry missile for late night launch 470 miles downrange. The U.S. Air Force missile, which is being developed by the Missile Systems Division of Atlantic Research, is scheduled for 70 nighttime firings over sparsely populated area, and is part of a U.S. Air Force program to study advanced re-entry systems. It has been fired successfully and completed the longest flight of a oallistic re-entry missile ever attempted over the continental limits of the U. S. Assembled in the field and mated on the launch pad, ATHENA is protected by an environmentally controlled mobile assembly and servicing shelter, removed just prior to launch. The ATHENA program is under the technical direction of the Ballistic Systems Division. 12 Nov 64, Moab TIMES INDEPENDENT Friday's Athena "Confirmed Success" ' An Athena Missile fired at 8:20 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, was {reported a "confirmed suc^ cess" by both the Air Force monitors and Army monitors at the Whiter Sands Missile base, spokesmen from the Green River missile base said this week. No schedule has been anounced for the next firing. The story in other news media earlier this week that four firings per week are scheduled for the remainder of the year from the Green River Base was not confirmed by the Air Force headquarters at San Bernar-dino, Calif., official headquarters for the Athena ijro-ject. In a telephone communication with the base, The Times-Independent was in formed that it was impossible to schedule the firings as reported due to the fact weather involvements at White Sands and Green River must be coordinated to' p^ fection prior to firing of the Athena. |