Nation IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Soviet Lawmakers Tour Shuttle Site

Soviet defense committee lawmakers toured the Kennedy Space Center in Florida a few hours before the countdown began for the Thursday liftoff of the space shuttle Atlantis, carrying a secret satellite that reportedly will spy on the Soviet Union. When asked what he thought of the spy satellite, Vladimir Lapygin, the committee chairman and head of the delegation, replied with a smile: “We have no special secrets . . . . I think you are wasting your money.” The group toured areas where shuttles are worked on, a launching control center and a launch pad.