The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 31, 1989, Page 2, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    MpWC OicrpQf AssociatedPress
X ^1 W W 1f JL-^ JL Edited by Diana Johnson
Soviet spacecraft joins
orbit around Mars
MOSCOW - An unmanned
Soviet research probe went into
orbit around Mars (Mi Sunday after
a six-month, 111-million-mile
voyage from Earth, Tass reported.
On a mission that has so far
been plagued by problems, Phobos
II arrived with instruments and
experiments prepared by 12 coun
tries and the European Space
Agency.
Soviet officials say the mission
will help them get ready to send a
manned craft to Mars in the early
21st century.
The breaking rockets of Phobos
II fired at 3:55 p.m. Moscow time,
the official news agency Tass said.
Soviet ground controllers began
analyzing data from the craft io
ensure a proper orbit, it said.
Phobos II was launched July 12
in an ambitious program to unlock
mysteries of the Red Planet and its
largest moon, Phobos.
The probe is supposed to record
daily and seasonal temperature
changes on Mars, make a tempera
ture map of the surface, and iden
tify areas where the soil is perma
needy fro/on, Tass said. Data will
also be collected on the planet’s
mineral makeup and atmosphere.
The Phobos mission is the most
ambitious of nearly 20 U.S. and
Soviet unmanned missions to
study Mars.
lass said Phobos II is the first
spacecraft to orbit Mars. However,
U.S. officials say U.S. probes or
bited Mars during the Viking mis
sions of the 1970s. The planet is
believed to be most like Earth after
Venus.
Nebraskan
Editor Curl Wagner Night News Editors Victoria Ayotte
472-1766 Chris Carroll
Managing Editor Jane Hlrt Librarian Anne Mohrl
Assoc News Editors Lae Rood Art Directors John Bruce
Bob Nelson Andy Manharl
Editorial Page Editor Amy Edwards General Manager Dan Shattll
Wire Editor Diana Johnson Production Manager Katherine Pollcky
Copy Desk Editor Chuck Qraen Advertising Manager Robert Bates
Sports Editor Jett Apel Sales Manager David Thiemann
Arts & Entertainment Circulation Manager Eric Shanka
Editor Mlckl Hailer Publications Board
Diversions Editor Joeth Zucco Chairman Tom Macy
Sower Editor Klrstln Swanson 475-9868
Supplements Editor Deanna Nelson Professional Adviser Don Walton
Graphics Editor Tim Hartmann 473-7301
Photo Chief Connie Sheehan
The Daily Nebiaskan(USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board. Ne
braska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln. NE, Monday through Friday during the academic
year; weekly during summer sessions
Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan
by phoning 472-1763 between 9am and 5 pm Monday through Friday The public also
has access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Tom Macy, 475-9868
Subscription puce Is $45 for one year
Postmaster Send address changes to the Daily Neuraskan. Nebraska Union 34.1400
R St .Lincoln. NE 68588 0448 Second class postage paid at Lincoln. NE
ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1989 DAILY NEBRASKAN
L I
Including 15 types of sandwiches and
a variety of salads.
■ Bring in this ad for a FREE large drink
■ with purchase of any sandwich. Expires
I February 28. 1989.
13th & "O" ^ I
Lincoln Square We Deliver! 474-Dxr
Dillards) !
^ f * • * « 4 f iOTV i
Team probes air crash
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Canada
pulled out of joint cold-weather mili
tary exercises Monday, the morning
after eight soldiers were killed in the
crash of a C-130 transport plane
trying to land in icy fog at 50 degrees
below zero.
The four-engine Hercules was
carrying eight crewmen and 10 para
troopers from Edmonton. Alberta, to
participate in Brim Frost* 89 when it
crashed Sunday night at the end of the
runway at Fort Wainwright, said IJ.S.
Army Maj. Sherrel Mock.
Three men were in serious condi
tion, one was listed as stable and six
others were being held for observa
tion at the base’s Bartlett Army
Community Hospital, Mock said
Monday.
“We don’t know if the cold
weather had anything to do with it,”
Mock said. “Teams are out there
right now, going through the wreck
age.
“The investigation is still in its
early stages. They’re wondering if it
was the weather or something me
chanical.”
A 450-man Canadian paratroop
force was to support the U.S. Army’s
1st Brigade, 6th Infantry Division
(Light), in a major land battle that
was the centerpiece of the Brim Frost
ground exercises near Fairbanks.
But alter the crash, Canadian offi
cials canceled their forces’ participa
tion and recalled their remaining air
craft and soldiers, Mock said.
“They canceled because of the
equipment they lost (in the crash),”
Mock said. “The aircraft was bring
ing in equipment ranging from snow
machines to cold weather gear.”
Military planners call Brim Frost
“the premier cold weather training
exercise in the free world.’ ’ But tem
peratures plunging to more than 60
below zero during the past two weeks
have been too much of a test.
The bitter cold has caused metal
fatigue and rubber fatigue in trucks
and aircraft, stalling equipment and
generally slowing maneuvers, Mock
said.
but we ve ocen ante to land air
craft,” he said.
“Another Canadian C-130 had
landed an hour earlier,” he said.
“The third aircraft in the flight was
diverted to the Fairbanks airport be
cause the runway was blocked.”
The plane’s last contact with the
control tower was at 6:47 p.m. There
were no distress calls from the crew
before the crash, Mock said. There
was no explosion or fire after the
plane broke in two and skidded to a
halt about a quarter mile down the
runway, he said.
Six victims were dead on arrival at
the Army hospital and two others
died later, he said.
About 26,000 servicemen, 120
aircraft and 1,000 vehicles from die
U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines,
Coast Guard, National Guard, Civil
Air Patrol, reserve units and Cana
dian Forces were participating in the
arctic training exercise. The $15 mil
lion exercise began Jan. 20 and is to
continue through Feb. 1.
•
Americans begin to leave, missionaries stay
Embassy flag lowered last time
KABUL, Afghanistan - Marine
guards lowered the flag for the last
time Monday and the U.S. Embassy
staff prepared to depart before the
Red Army leaves Kabul’s fate to
Afghan soldiers and Moslem guerril
las who wait in the hills.
“As we say goodbye, wc say,
‘God bless the United Slates,’’’ said
Charge d’ Affaires John D. Glassman,
the ranking American diplomat still
in Kabul, at the solemn ceremony.
‘ ‘Today wc leave at a moment that
is both happy and sad, pleased that
the people of Afghanistan arc going
to be relieved of their suffering, but
wc know their struggle is not over.
“The people of the United Stales
are with them,” Glassman said, rais
ing the folded flag above his head in
a salute. “Wc will be back when the
conflict is over.”
Marine guards brought down the
Stars and Stripes, gently folded the
flag and handed it to Glassman, who
walked to a small slab of marble on
the other side of the compound that
honors Adolph Dubs, the former U.S.
ambassador.
Dubs was kidnapped, then killed
along with his abductors when sol
diers tried to rescue him Feb. 14,
1979. U.S. officials still do not know
the motive.
Soviet soldiers entered Afghani
stan’s civil war nine years ago and are
to be gone by Feb. 15 under a U.N.
mediated agreement. Moslem insur
gents, who gel most of their support
From the United States and Pakistan,
were not parties to the agreement and
predict victory soon after the Red
army is gone.
Yuri Maslyukov, Soviet deputy
premier, arrived to meet with Najib
just after Soviet Defense Minister
Dmitri Yazov ended a three-day visit
to Kabul. A Western diplomat in Is
lamabad, Pakistan, said the visits
were meant to “boost the sagging
morale of the communist govern
ment.’’
Embassy officials would not say
when the American staff of two dip
lomats. four Marine guards and five
others would leave on a chartered
flight to New Delhi, India. The Kabul
airport was closed Monday by a
three-inch snowfall.
The Slate Department said last
week the embassy would be closed
because of fears that Afghanistan’s
conscript army could not protect for
eign diplomats after the Soviets
leave.
The departure of the embassy staff
will leave 10 Americans in Afghani
stan, all missionaries.
West Germany was the first coun
try to withdraw us diplomats. After
the U.S. closure was announced, Brit
ain, France, Japan and Austria fol
lowed suit.
The Soviet Embassy has said it
will continue operating after the mili
tary withdrawal, but with a greatly
reduced staff. Some of the Kremlin's
East European allies have indicated
they may leave.
Najib’s government accused the
United States of closing the embassy
as a means of inciting the guerrillas to
more intense warfare after the Red
Army departs.
Moslem guerrillas began lighting
after a communist coup in April
1978. Soviet soldiers arrived in De
cember 1979 and totaled an esti
mated 115,000 when the withdrawal
began May 15. Half were gone by
Aug. 15.
Although the rest have until Feb.
15 to leave, the final Soviet convoy is
expected to head north later this week
on the Salang Highway, the 250-mile
route through the rugged Hindu Kush
mountain range to the Soviet burdcr.
Amnesty International calls for halt of
Iranian political executions, abuses
LONDON ~ Amnesty Interna
tional on Monday urged the world to
pressure Iran to halt a six-month
campaign of political executions
during which more than 1,000 people
have died.
The London-based human rights
group made its plea in a statement
submitted to the United Nations
Human Rights Commission which is
scheduled to begin its annual meeting
Monday in Geneva.
Amnesty International detailed
other abuses it said have persisted in
Iran, including torture, detention
without trial and other “cruel, inhu
man or degrading” punishments.
The group also said it was con
cerned about a massive anti-drug
crackdown and 21 recorded instances
of amputation, usually of the four
fingers of the right hand, which it
considered “cruel, inhuman or de
grading.”
Tehran radio reported Sunday that
22 more drug smugglers were hanged
publicly in various Iranian cities in
the previous three days, raising the
total to 113 in the crackdown
launched two weeks ago.
Amnesty International urges the
international community to use what
ever channels are available to per
suade the Iranian government to put
an end to the present wave of public
executions and to implement and
observe judicial and other procedures
to safeguard the human rights of its
citizens,” the statement said.
“Since the end of July 1988,
Amnesty International has recorded
over 1,000 names of political prison
ers who have reportedly been exe
cuted,” the statement said. “And
further reports arc still being re
ceived."
Olympic diver given 17 years
TAMPA, Fla. - Olympic diver
Firucc Kimball was sentenced uxlay
to 17 years in prison for killing two
people and injuring four others when
his car plowed into a group of teen
agers last August.
The 1984 Olympic silver medal
ist, who was legally drunk at the lime,
must serve an additional 15 years
probation, Hillsborough Circuit
Judge Harry Lee Coe ruled.
“You must be punished,” Coe
told Kimball after the 2 1/2 hour
sentencing hearing. “You must suf
fer the consequences of drunken driv
ing, and we must stop it.”
The terms of the probation require
Kimball to participate in community
work aimed at leaching young people
the clangers of alcohol
• 'I til fit |l ill I i I III H | || i
Kimball has been in jail since ear
Her this month, when he pleaded
guilty to two drunken driving man
slaughter and three great bodily in
jury counts.
Prosecutors said Kimball was
driving down a narrow road at ap
proximately 75 mph and then skid
397 feet before hitting his victims.
Today, Kimball changed his plea
to no contest, a technical move aimed
at making it easier for victims to
recover damages from his automo
bile insurance company.
Later, on the courthouse steps, the
athlete’s mother offered an apology.
Florida sentencing guidelines
called for a penalty of between seven
and 22 years.