Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1999)
I Monday, December 6,1999 _ * Page 2 Mars orbiter fails to signal I PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - NASA’s ambitious campaign of Mars exploration could face uncertainty after the embarrassing loss of an orbiter in September and the growing likelihood that the Polar Lander may never be contacted. For a third day Sunday, the lander failed to signal Earth, although engi neers believe it made a safe landing. The space agency has been launching orbiters and landers every 26 months since 1996 to explore the Red Planet’s climate history, geology and water, paving the way for samples to be returned to Earth and, eventually, humans to be rocketed to Mars. In the rush to launch probes faster and more cheaply, components and systems from one mission are often duplicated in another. It usually is a reliable way to cut down on develop ment costs. — The fear is that whatever might have caused the $165 million Mars Polar Lander to disappear could affect the Mars Surveyor 2001 mission, now nearing the end of its development. Polar Lander and its 2001 cousin have similar structures, landing sys tems and protective heat shields. Both were designed and built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics, where the met rics mix-up that doomed the Mars Climate Orbiter originated. “Whenever we have a problem of any type, we re-evaluate where that might be used in the future,” said Sylvia Miller, a Mars program archi tect at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We look at what might be needed to be changed.” But until Mars Polar Lander is actually confirmed dead, and investi gators are able to determine a cause, it is impossible to know how such a loss would affect future missions, said Carl Pilcher, NASA’s science director for solar system exploration. “There’s no question because of the similarity of designs... if the lander were to be lost, surely it would have an impact on what we’re doing in ‘01,” he said. “What that impact would be is « If the lander were to be lost, surely it would have an impact on what we’re doing in ’01.” Carl Pilcher NASA science director for solar system exploration impossible to say right now.” The Sept. 23 loss of Climate Orbiter will be felt more in how future missions are run than how the space crafts are made. Investigators were critical of JPL for failing to catch the error that caused the $125 million probe to bum up in the Martian atmos phere. A report blamed the loss on a fail ure to convert navigation data from English units used by one group of technicians to the metric system used by a different team. Investigators also found the orbiter program under staffed and navigators lacking knowl edge about the spacecraft. Poor com munication between JPL and Lockheed Martin also was cited. The 2001 mission is near the end of development in a phase of integra tion and testing, Miller said. A lander is to be launched April 10 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., while an orbiter will take off March 30 from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara, Calif. A small rover - an exact duplicate of the Mars Pathfinder’s Sojourner - will accompany the lander, which will carry mineralogy experiments, a robotic arm and instruments to con duct the first assessments of radiation on Mars. Chechnya fights back using guerrilla tactics NAZRAN, Russia (AP) - As Russia has tightened its circle around Grozny and continued to pummel the Chechen capital with air and artillery attacks, Chechen rebels have turned increasingly to guerrilla tactics, the Russian military said Sunday. It’s a dangerous shift for Russia, which had been hoping to avoid a close-fought war for fear of high casualties among its soldiers. Because the Russian forces have occupied the greater "part of Chechnya, blocking several strategic regions, Chechnya’s “illegal armed formations were increasingly using guerrilla methods of warfare,” said Col. Gennady Alyokhin, a Russian military spokesman. When Russia launched its ground offensive into Chechnya in September, the military was predict ing a quick, victorious campaign, saying the militants could be destroyed by the end of the year. But in recent days, the upbeat forecasts have given way to expectations of a longer, harsher war. Russian forces have yet to try to seize the capital or venture into the republic’s southern mountain ranges, where they would be vulnerable to hit-and-run attacks by Chechen guer rillas. “I think we will see in the year 2000, and only then will we go into the mountains,” said Lt. Gen. Vladimir Bulgakov, a Russian com mander whose unit was stationed near Grozny on Sunday. The Russian military has denied reports of heavy casualties among its troops. However, another top Russian commander, Maj. Gen. Sergei Makarov, admitted the army was short on manpower. The military has been sending in conscripts who have served only six months in the army, Makarov told The Associated Press on Saturday. That practice would contradict the government’s earlier promise that only trained soldiers who had served for at least a year would be sent to Chechnya. Russian artillery shelled the out skirts of Grozny on Sunday, and war planes dropped bombs on die city, tar geting ammunition depots, rebel command headquarters and commu nication centers, the military press center said. Questions? Comments? Editor: Josh Funk ^ ^ ^ ***" * Managing Editor: Sarah Baker l402)472-2588 . Associate News EiHtor: Lindsay Young or MT'a" on@unl.edu. Associate News Editor: Jessica Fargen t Opinion Editor: MaikBaldridge General Manager: Daniel Shattil Sports Editor: Sam McKewon Publications Board Jessica Hofmann, A4E Editor: Liza Holtmeier Chairwoman: (402) 477-0527 Copy Desk Chief: Diane Broderick Professional Adviser: Don Walton, Photo Chief: Lane Hickenbottom (402) 473-7248 Design Chief: ] delanie Falk Advertising Manager: Nick Partsch, Art Director: Matt Haney (402)472-2589 Web Editor: Gregg Steams Asst. Ad Manager: Jamie Yeager Asst. Web Editor: Jennifer Walker Classifield Ad Manager: Mary Johnson ^ Fax number: (402) 472-1761 World Wide Web: www.dailyneb.com The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 1444)80) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 20,1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 685884)448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during the summer sessions.The public has access to the Publications Board. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by calling (402)472-2588. Subscriptions are $60 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 20,1400 R St., ^ Lincoln NE 68588-0448. Periodical postagepaid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT1999 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN Activists declare victory over WTO ■ Protesters happy about delegates failure to agree on new round of global trade talks. SEATTLE (AP) - Demonstrators continued a vigil Sunday in a jail court yard in support of people arrested dur ing the World Trade Organization meet ing, while outside the jail city residents held a conciliatory interfaith service. Elsewhere in the city, a candlelight vigil was held in die Capitol Hill neigh borhood, where residents had been tear gassed along with demonstrators during a police crackdown that followed win dow smashing and looting. Shoppers returned during die week end to die downtown area, which had been mostly boarded up and blocked by police during the previous week. Activists declared victory over the WTO on Sunday. Delegates failed to reach agreement on an agenda for a new round of global trade talks - exactly the outcome the “No New Round” demon strators had demanded. “This victory has wildly surpassed all our expectations,” said Jeremy Simer, 25, of People for Fair Trade, a local group formed to help coordinate WTO opposition. “People all over the world recog nized the opportunity to focus every one’s energy on stopping one of a hand ful of international organizations that’s chipping away at our democratic institu tions,” he said. More than 500 people were arrested for obstruction of traffic, failure to dis perse and other charges. Some had already been released from the King County Jail, and most of the remainder were expected to be freed by late Sunday. An activist legal team had tried to negotiate a plea bargain with the City Attorney’s office for everyone who was arrested, but talks broke down late Saturday. Direct Action Network, an umbrella group for activists, said every one who was arrested would seek a frill jury trial. Religious violence erupts, leaving at least 31 dead JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A fresh wave of violence between Christians and Muslims in the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia has left at least 31 people dead, officials said Sunday. Sectarian violence erupted late Thursday and lasted until Saturday, a police spokesman said on condition of anonymity. Both sides used guns and petrol bombs to attack dozens of houses in Maluku, an island chain about 1,100 miles east of Jakarta. “It has been quiet since yesterday,” a police spokesman said on condition of anonymity. The Maluku Islands, formerly known as the Moluccas, have been - plagued by religious violence. Police sources have said the fighting in Maluku has claimed more than 700 lives since it first broke out almost a year ago. More than 100,000 people have fled or lost their homes in the esca lating violence. Human rights activists say more than 1,000 people have died since January. The bloodshed began after last year’s dramatic ouster of President Suharto, the country’s authoritarian leader for 32 years. Suharto used the military to keep a lid on ethnic and reli gious tensions across this nation of 210 million people and 13,000 islands. About 90 percent of Indonesia’s 210 million people are Muslims, but Muslims and Christians are evenly split in Maluku. President Abdurrahman Wahid, a Muslim cleric, has appealed for reconciliation between the two com munities, but they remain largely divid ed. Meanwhile, in Indonesia’s western most province of Aceh, a pro-indepen dence protester was killed by police Sunday after thousands of demonstra tors rallied in the town of Bandardua, 75 miles east of the regional capital of Banda Aceh. ■ New Mexico Van hits tractor-trailer, killing 13 people EDGEWOOD, N.M. (AP) - A van that had been stripped of its rear passenger seats and packed with 17 people - most of them apparently undocumented farm workers - crashed into a tractor-trailer rig on an icy interstate early Saturday, killing 13 people. U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier said authorities found documents in the van that suggest the occupants were Mexican nationals from Chiapas and Oaxaca. Border Patrol agent Garth Rogers said he spoke to one of the survivors and was told the van was headed to Kentucky at the time. The van’s driver apparently didn’t notice traffic had slowed for an acci dent ahead and plowed under the back end of the tractor-trailer, Santa Fe County Undersheriff Benjie Montano said. He said there didn’t appear to be any signs of braking by the van. ■ Austria Five killed, several injured after crowd flees stadium VIENNA, Austria (AP) -Apan icked crowd of snowboarding fans stampeded out of a stadium in west ern Austria, crushing five people to death and trampling dozens of others, officials said Sunday. Rescue workers and police sources said it appeared a crowd leav ing the Olympic stadium in the west Austrian town of Innsbruck Saturday night had slipped on any icy slope and slid into a barrier that gave way, causing a pile up and panic in the mass behind. Four Austrians and one Australian, all females aged 14 to 21, were trampled to death by spectators leaving the stadium after the “Air and Style” snowboarding event, police said. Dozens of others were trampled and 16 people remained hospitalized early Sunday at the Innsbruck hospi tal, four of them in comas with life threatening injuries, Dr. Norbert Mutz told Austrian state television. The accident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday. ■NewYoric Rapper Jay-Z charged after fight in New York nightclub NEW YORK (AP) - Grammy winning rapper Jay-Z has been charged with attacking three peo ple, including two he allegedly bashed over the head with bottles and a record executive he allegedly stabbed in a nightclub brawl. The 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was released on $50,000 cash bail on Friday after he was arraigned on three counts of assault. Lance “Un” Rivera, 33, was allegedly attacked by Jay-Z after a fight broke out among several guests during a party Wednesday night. Rivera, founder of Untertainment Records, was treat ed at a hospital and released. The other two incidents allegedly occurred last week and in 1998. Harvey Slovis, Jay-Z’s lawyer, denied that his client attacked any body. “He was not involved in it,” Slovis said. “He didn’t do any thing.”