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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 1990)
VT Editori21 Nelwaiskan ■* JLJ JL L JL L LL JL Tuesday, September 25,1990 (Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Unlvaraity of Nabraska-Uncoln Eric Pfanner, Editor, 472-1766 Victoria Ayotte, Managing Editor Darcie Wiegcrt, Associate News Editor Diane Bray ton, Associate News Editor Jana Pedersen, Wire Editor Emily Rosenbaum, Copy Desk Chief Lisa Donovan, Editorial Page Editor 3,2,1... restore Museum is responsible for Apollo 009 Space: the final frontier? NASA looks as though it’s voyaging into utter disaster. The space agency’s reputation has deteriorated with the ; space shuttle Columbia’s delayed launching and finally the removal of the craft from the launch line-up. The 118-day (and counting) delay of the shuttle’s launch, caused by a hydrogen leak, is the longest shuttle delay in history. But the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is making some j space history of its own - and it’s nothing to be proud of cither. Years of exposure to Nebraska weather have damaged the Apollo 009 space capsule, which sits northwest of Morrill Hall. The paint on the outside of the spacecraft is faded, chipped and cracked. Part of the outer shell has broken off. The windows are dirty and scratched. Inside, wires arc tangled and equipment is rusted. Kcsioranon oi me crait nas occn csumaica 10 cosi ai icasi $200,000. But restoration seems to be a floating idea because Hugh Genoways, director of the Nebraska State Museum, said that “from the museum’s point of view, the (restoration of the) craft is a long ways down our priority list.” And while the museum says it doesn’t have the money to pay j for restoration, it’s not going to let anyone else take care of the capsule either. It’s a sure bet that 18 years ago, when NASA agreed to give the museum a space artifact, the space agency didn’t expect it to go to ruins. Max Ary, executive director of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kan., said that not only docs the university own the craft, it has a responsibility to maintain a national treasure. The center submitted proposal to the university this summer to take the craft from UNL permanently and restore it through backing from a museum or foreign country that would display the craft in an exchange program. But UNL turned the center down, saying the craft was “too valuable to exchange,” according to Genoways. So valuable that Apollo continues to disintegrate. Ary said that if the craft remains outside much longer it could “literally turn to dust” as the deterioration of the special metals used to build the spacecraft continues. And now the space program is crumbling alongside its artifacts. Delays such as that of the Columbia and accidents such as the f 1987 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger have caused public skepticism about the U.S. space program and questions 1 about NASA’s abilities. NASA’s mission will continue. But it won’t be successful if the space program’s past is jettisoned. —Lisa Donovan for the Daily Nebraskan Signed staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1990 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its members are: Eric Planner, editor; Lisa Donovan, editorial page editor; Victoria Ayolte, managing editor; Diane Brayton, associate news editor; Darcie Wicgcrt, associate news edi tor; Emily Rosenbaum, copy desk chief; Jana Pedersen, wire editor. Editorials do not necessarily re flect the views of the university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent the opinion of the author. The Daily Ne braskan’s publishers arc the regents, who established the UNL Publica tions Board to supervise the daily pro duction of the paper. According to policy set by the re gents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its students. Mtefaacn-_ The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief leuers tc the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, original • ity, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the nght to edit all material submitted. Readers also are welcome to sub mit material as guest opinions. Whether material should run as a let ter or guest opinion, or not to run, is left to the editor’s discretion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Letters should be typewrit ten. Anonymous submissions will not be considered for publication. Letters should include the author’s name, year in school, major and groupaffili alion, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, !4(X) R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. EAiDCN. pevM ^vtuw ? Oil is not the only impetus Hitler, Quadaffi, Saddam illustrate need for U.S. military action 1 guess it’s official now. We’re all in big trouble. On Thursday, Saddam Hussein announced to Iraq and the rest of the world that war with the West - read ‘‘United States” -- is inevitable. Strangely, this statcmcntcame just days after Iraqi officials said the economic embargo wouldn’t affect their nation for ‘‘five or six years.” But lots of people in this country should be delighted at Saddam’s atti tude. It will give them something to grumble about well into the holiday season. Since Iraq invaded Kuwait Aug. 2, most nations have condemned Sad dam for his actions. For once, the world seemingly has come together to back a cause. But here in America, some people are less than delighted. Last Saturday, hundreds in San Francisco protested the U.S. military involvement in the Gulf, and there have been similar protests across the country. People are forecasting another Vietnam, with thousands of Ameri cans dying for nothing. Uh-huh. It makes one wonder what those same Americans would say if oil suddenly shot up to $200 a barrel, and their taxes shot through the strato sphere to help the government main tain our 20th century way of life. American troops in Saudi Arabia are there because that’s their job. They weren’t yanked out of their living rooms, they weren't recruited at gun point. They joined to serve their coun try, for whatever reasons. They arc highly trained and are getting paid to do what they do. Right now, they are serving their country and the rest of the world - just like soldiers from other countries who are there. And the cost? The Pentagon esti mates that for occupation until next Sept. 1, the pricetag will be about $17.5 billion. Saudi Arabia has al ready promised to pick up $6 billion of that, and other countries such as Japan and West Germany have com bined to pledge another $4 billion to $8 billion. Cost seems to be the main issue all the way around in the crisis. The cost of oil was Saddam’s prem ise for invading Kuwait. He said Kuwaiti leaders were letting oiI prices get too low, and that it was his job to stop the trend. Obviously, the impending high price of oil is one big reason U .S. troops are sweating it out in the desert. It’s also little doubt that without oil, life as we know it would cease - and not just long weekend trips in the ol’ Camaro. Spock-likc logic isn’t needed to figure out what would happen if 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves were controlled by a man w ho gasses his own citizens, and spends SI50 billion and 1 million lives on an eight year war with a neighboring nation. Chuck Green Electricity, contrary to popular belief, is not just up there in the power lines, waiting to be used. It is created by generators run by fossil fuels. Petroleum is vital for medical serv ices, communications, clothing and food production, and virtually every other aspect of life as we know it. Until other means of creating en ergy are found, oil is needed. Com plaining about developing solar en ergy doesn’t help at the moment. Welcome to 1990. Back in the spring of 1986, U.S. planes launched an attack on Libya in retaliation for a scries of terrorist at tacks on American citizens and prop erty. The mood of the country then was much the same as it is now: violence only causes more violence. But looking back over the last five years, I honestly can’t think of any terrorist activity from Libya since. There hasn’t been a peep from Lib yan leader Moammar Quadaffi. Our government has blundered more than its share and stuck its nose where it docsn ’ t belong ever since the late-1940s. It has covertly invaded, killed, planned and generally meddled in the world’s affairs for a long time, usually for self-serving reasons. Such is the price of being the only economically intact nation in the years after World War II. The Gulf crisis, though, isn’t a contrived invasion of a tiny Carib bean island, or a coup against a Third World country. It’s the world versus a nut, like it or not. And the U.S. is the only country that can do anything about it fast. Had the United Stales not sent I troops as soon as it did, Saudi Arabia I would by now be another Iraqi prov-1 ince. Saddam would own hall of the n world’s oil and control the world I economy. Is that “none of our busi- I ness?” It was none of our business when I Adolf Hitler was stcamrolling Eu- I rope 50 years ago, either. But looking I back, it’s a damn good thuig the United ■ States was involved. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait arc two of America’s most loya'i allies in the perpetual battlefield known as the Middle East. Our government, as wrong and ridiculous as it so often is, has obligations to its allies as well as to its own citizens. Refugees from Kuwait have told stories of Iraqi soldiers raping, rob bing and looting. Saddam has ordered that Kuwait’s culture be systemati cally exterminated. Kuwaiti families have been forcibly removed from their homes, which are being turned over to Iraqi families left homeless by the war with Iran. One of the favorite arguments of Bush-bashers is that Israel has never received U.S. condemnation for oc cupation of the West Bank. Thai’s not «ruc. It was condemned by U.S. offi cials from the start, during Nixon’s administration. But the territory was occupied only after Jordan entered the Six Day War against Israel. If Israel had been de feated, w'ould its land possessions have remained intact? War obviously is never good, but it is sometimes justified. When all else fails, it’s necessary. That’s not a popular altitude, but a realistic one It’s a pretty thought, hoping ev eryone will just wake up one morning and suddenly cooperate with every one else on the planet, loving them all the while. Unfortunately, though, the world is not yet a Utopia. The world s super powers are slowly but surely getting on the right track, but some other nations still wait patiently to throw a wrench into the machinery of prog ress. This lime, its Saddam. Maybe the military buildup in the Gulf will keep it from happening again. Just ask Quadafft. Green is a senior news-editorial major,» Daily Nebraskan night news editor. *Portv writer and columnist.
