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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1988)
News Digest SSsks Discovery puts Americans bacK in space CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Discovery carried the American flag back into space Thurs day after a 32-month absence, its five astronauts riding a 700-foot tail of flame from rockets meticulously re designed after the Challenger disas ter. “Everyone certainly stood tall today,” said Kennedy Space Center director Forrest S. McCartney as Discovery settled into orbit, 184 miles above earth. Mission Control said the ship was “performing nomi nally” It was the first launch since the Challenger explosion with its toll of seven lives on a cold winter day shocked the nation and stopped the manned space program in its tracks. “We sure appreciate your all get ting us up in orbit the way we should be,” Discovery’s commander, Navy Capt. Frederick Hauck, told Mission Control. “We’re looking forward to the next four days — we have a lot to do and we’re going to have a lot of fun doing it” Liftoff was the first and most important milestone, but more was at stake than simply getting into space. The 2 1/2-year grounding of the shuttle fleet set back the nation’s sat ellite delivery capability, and release of acommunications satellite was the main order of business in orbit, sev eral hours after launch. The giant Tracking and Data Re lay Satellite is a $ 100-million twin of the craft that was destroyed aboard Challenger. In Washington, President Reagan praised the launch, saying the shuttle was "headed into orbit and America is back in space.” He saluted the bravery of the crew and added, "We ask God to bless this important voyage.” Launch, at 11:37 a.m. EDT, came only after NASA waived weather guidelines to allow for flight through some lighter-than-usual Florida winds. The 98-minule delay simply heightened the tension as NASA unveiled a spaceship that underwent more than 400 modifications since the Challenger flight Just how well the Discovery’s booster rockets performed in their new design awaited detailed analysis. But J.R. Thompson, who directed the work from the Marshall Space Right Center in Alabama said, “From eve rything 1 see, everything looks great” Hauck’s veteran-flight crew con sisted of Air Force Col. Richard Covey, Marine Lt. Col. David C. Hiimers; John M. Lounge; and George D. “Pinky” Nelson. Landing was scheduled for Monday at Ed wards Air Force Base in California. The astronauts had said all along they were treating the mission as a test mission — a “shakedown flight,” in the words of Covey — and they quickly ran into first-flight problems. A water evaporator dial provides cooling to the ship during the climb to space and return to Earth was partly clogged with ice. And a device that provides electrical power to move an orbital steering engine was not work ing. ... , Neither problem was critical. Right director Gary Coen said engi neers were devising ways of thawing the evaporator before it is needed again and that backup power was available to turn the steering engine. To the delight of a quarter-million people gathered on river banks and highways and an ecstatic NASA team in Launch Control, Discovery lifted off its seaside pad and streaked into cloudy skies. It remained in view less than a half minute, but the tension was considerable and the sight was unfor gettable. Discovery, an American flag on its left wing, was making its seventh spaceflight. Anxiety was highest as die ship went through a 30-second period of severe aerodynamic stress. It was during this stage of the flight that one of Challenger’s booster rockets failed and triggered the Jan. 28,1986 catas trophe, 73 seconds after liftoff. Some television viewers reported what they thought was an errant flame shooting from the left booster rocket about 90 seconds after liftoff. Offi cials said an analysis revealed a harm - less phenomena that causes flame from the exhaust to “climb” up the side of the rockeL “It was not particularly unusual,” said NASA’s Steve Nesbitt. The analysis that followed the Challenger disaster led to 56 major and more than 400 minor hardware modifications - and a new, more conservative launch procedure. Con servative or not, NASA launch super visor Robert Crippen granted a waiver of wind guidelines to move the launch forward. NASA said he met with his 21-person oversight team, reviewing an analysis of the wind situation, before approving the waiver. Nobel prize goes to United Nation peacekeepers OSLO, Norway — Soldiers on the front lines of the United Nations’ 40 year quest for peace won the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday for steadfast duty in the cross fire of the world’s conflicts. The Nobel Committee said the U.N. peacekeeping troops built greater faith in the United Nations, which “has come to play a more cen tral part in world affairs.’’ The award could bolster new IJ.N. peacemaking efforts to oversee shaky truce agreements in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. In Jerusalem, peacekeepers broke open bottles of champagne to cele brate the prestigious award as the word was passed by radio from out post to outpost. Five of the seven peacekeeping forces arc in the Middle East. “We arc here to keep the peace, but winning the Nobel prize makes you feel good,” said Canadian trooper Tony Mayfield, 22, who guards a crossing point between Greek and T urkish sectors of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Nearly 10,000 peacekeepers from more than 30 countries serve under the U.N. flag. Peacekeepers most recently were dispatched to Iran and Iraq under a cease-fire negotiated in the countries’ 8-ycar-long war. “There is great joy,” said Timor Goskel, spokesman for the U.N. In terim Force in Lebanon. He spoke from UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon. The citation from the Nobel Com mittee, made up of five Norwegians, said the troops showed the world’s determination to settle disputes peacefully. It said they “made a deci sive contribution towards the initia lion of actual peace negotiations.” Some peacekeepers carry light arms, but they can fire only in self defense. The United Nations says 733 peacekeepers have lost their lives since 1948. The prize was an indirect tribute to Secrelai7-General Javier Perez dc Cuellar, who was notcligibie because he was nominated after the Feb. 1 deadline. Policy-making body to shake-up Soviet hierarchy MOSCOW — The legislature and the Communist Party’s policy-mak ing body will shake up the Kremlin hierarchy in extraordinary meetings this week, a high-level source said Thursday. The policy-setting Central Com mittee meets Friday and the Supreme Soviet on Saturday. The meetings brought officials rushing back to Moscow and sparked speculation that Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev and his opponents would face off over his ambitious economic and social reforms. Soviet sources said there was “no crisis” in the leadership, but the abrupt change in plans of several top Kremlin figures clearly indicated urgent or unexpected business. Tass reported Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze landed in Moscow Thursday afternoon after cutting short a U.N. visit. Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov ended a visit to India a day ahead of schedule. The 1,500-member Supreme So viet, the nation’s parliament, usually convenes twice a year after meetings of the 300-mcmbcr Central Commit tee. It last met May 24-26. Soviet media reported Sunday that a regular session of the Supreme Soviet would begin Oct. 27, and the announcement Thursday of a special sitting at such short notice was highly unusual. The Central Committee had been expected to meet by the end of Octo bcr, but one Soviet source said plans for implementing Gorbachev’s po litical reforms were proceeding “faster than was expected.” The source, a member of the Cen tral Committee staff, said the com mittee will approve changes in the party and the structure of government outlined ala party conference in June. The reforms are intended to en hance the status of the party as the leading force in Soviet society. The source called it “logical” that personnel changes would follow any change in the organizations’ format. He spoke on condition of anonymity. At its last meeting July 29, the Central Committee adopted a time table for overhauling the Soviet po litical system, which also was dis cussed at the party conference. That blueprint calls for a new, full time legislature and a more powerful president, a post Gorbachev could take on. School reopens: Second shooting . victim dies GREENWOOD. S.C. — A second little girl died Thursday of wounds received in a gunman's rampage # ac ele mentary school, mid her class mate£ returned to school find B J Substance tied to blood pressure SAN FRANCISCO — Research ers have isolated and purified a mys tery substance they suspect is linked to nigh blood pressure, an affliction that leaves nearly 60 million Ameri cans at dramatically higher risk of stroke and heart disease, it was an nounced Thursday. People with high blood pressure arc believed to have increased levels of the substance, which researchers have yet to identify, in their blood. Isolation of the compound, which appears only in trace amounts, should speed up identification and manufac ture of a synthetic version of the sub stance to be used in future studies, said John Hamlyn, an assistant pro fessor of physiology at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. “What we think is that having more of it in the circulation may be effectively raising blood pressure,” said Hamlyn, who has been working to isolate and purify the substance from blood plasma for six years. Once the substance is identified, synthesized and available for wide study, Hamlyn predicted, it will still be at least eight to 10 years before new relief for sufferers of high blood pres sure is available. Hamlyn presented his research results at a conference of the Ameri can Heart Association's Council on High Blood Pressure Research. The study was conducted with scientists from the Upjohn Co., which also provided funds for the project. NelSraskan Editor Curt Wagner Asst Photo Chief David Fahleeon Ma laninn J72*17** Night New* Editor Amy Edwerda u*n*j!2hn*on *** N«ht New* oc News -duors Jane HIrt EditorXibrarlan Anne Mohii rrfku( L**Wood Art Director* John Bruce pJS .... _ _ Andy Manhart 5fi*5* ”•***•» General Manager OanShattH Coo* iw 5?b Production Marviger Katharine Polkeky Sort., f Sluc\»?r*?n Advertising Manager Robert Bates T h« Sale* Manager David Thlemenn hialk? i kUe 44 oao) •• Published By the UNlPubllcatlon* Board, Ne session 341 400 P ®*-> Lincoln, NE (except holidays); weekly during the summer hw 10 *ubm*1 #,°7 idea* and comments to the Daily Nebraskan hlTa^^S. ®,mand 5 Pm. Monday through Friday. The public also 8o*rdFof information, contact Tom Mary, 4759366 aubscnptKjn erica .s$a*> for on* year. □ *9 the Dally Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34, 1*00 St.Lincoln, NEM6MF444I. Second*)*** postage paid at Lincoln, NE. 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