News In Brief

NASA chief chosen to head US 'star wars' system

Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger announced Tuesday that Lt. Gen. James Abrahamson, head of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space shuttle program will be the director of President Reagan's far-reaching ''star wars'' defensive system.

The Pentagon has proposed spending $2 billion for research and development into beam weaponry, tracking and sensing devices for fiscal year 1985 and estimates the program will cost $26 billion through the end of the 1980s.