Problems plague Mir days
before U. S. Atlantis liftoff
■ Mir cannot receive its
new computer system
until the old one comes
back on line to help the
shuttle dock Thursday.
MOSCOW (AP) - Troubles
arrived in threes Monday at the
Mir space station, just three days
before the U.S. space shuttle
Atlantis is to be launched on a
visit to the ailing station.
First, the Mir’s main computer
failed for the third time in three
weeks. That problem was fol
lowed by two new ones: the fail
ure of a carbon dioxide removal
system and the appearance of a
mysterious brown fluid leak.
Those on the Mir - two
Russians and American astronaut
Michael Foale - were not in dan
ger, space officials said. As
planned, NASA began its count
down for Thursday’s Atlantis
launch.
“We would strongly dislike it
if the shuttle launch is postponed,
because it is to bring a new com
puter and other spare parts,” said
Viktor Blagov, deputy Russian
Mission Control chief.
However, the docking will
only be possible if the Mir’s
capricious computer functions
properly throughout the proce
dure, which is far from certain.
“It functions for one week,
and then it gives us a surprise like
it did this morning,” Blagov said.
“It’s difficult to forecast how the
computer will behave in the
future.”
When the computer goes
down, so does the gyroscope sys
tem that keeps the space station in
the right position for the docking.
Loss of orientation also means
the Mir’s solar panels lose the
best angle to soak up energy from
the sun, which can cause a power
shortage.
Russian Prime Minister Viktor
Chernomyrdin, who met with vis
iting Vice President A1 Gore for
economic talks Monday, sought
to downplay the Mir’s woes.
“Nothing prevents us from
continuing the joint Russian
American research work on the
Mir space station,” the ITAR-Tass
news agency quoted
Chernomyrdin as saying. “The
shuttle will bring enough spare
parts to fix all the problems.”
Asked about the computer
breakdown, Gore said NASA was
“conducting a very intensive and
detailed review of the Mir.”
Monday’s breakdown was the
fifth time the computer has mal
functioned since July. The crew,
accustomed to the problem,
quickly replaced a faulty compo
nent, tested it and prepared to
restart the computer, said Valery
Lyndin, a spokesman for Mission
Control.
As during the previous break
downs, Foale and Russians
Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel
Vinogradov switched off the sta
tion’s oxygen generator and most
other systems to save power.
In the past, it has taken one to
two days to get most systems
back up and running. Lyndin said
the repairs were going more
quickly this time, and the crew
was expected to fully restore
Mir’s orientation early today.
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20 contact forms
still out this year
GROUPS from pagel
same in all organization constitu
tions according to ASUN bylaws.
“It’s very easy,” Schadegg said.
“You can sit down at the computer
and follow the guides they’ve set
out. It takes a couple hours, but they
already have a (constitutional) out
line for you to follow,” he said.
Ad-hoc organizations - tempo
rary groups - are exempt from sub
mitting a constitution. ASUN rules
state these organizations can exist
for a maximum of one year.
After the 90-day deadline for
constitution submission has passed,
the ASUN Special Topics
Committee then reviews the consti
tution. If the constitution is
approved by the committee, the
organization is then presented to
ASUN, which either approves or
rejects the organization’s “official”
status.
If an organization is approved, it
must send updated contact informa
tion to ASUN every year, although
its constitution remains unchanged.
The Recognized Student
Organization Office/Adviser
TTnHatft anrl Financial Annual
Review is a form that contains con
tact information for the officers and
adviser of the organization.
Both ASUN and Student
Involvement use the information,
such as the name, phone number
and e-mail address of the president,
to give to students interested in
joining the particular organization.
Organizations that have not
returned the signature forms do not
provide ASUN or Student
Involvement with the necessary
contact information to give to inter
ested students.
Currently, about 20 organiza
tions have not returned the forms.
“It’s a big problem,” Marlene
Beyke, director of development of
ASUN said. “It stifles any student
trying to get information to contact
people about an organization.”
Schadegg said the form discour
ages possibly inappropriate groups,
such as a cult, from applying to
become official.
“You have to have who is spon
soring the group, an address and
tt
We weren *t able to
book a table in the
union until our
constitution was
approved
John Schadegg
Won by One member
phone number - so if something
goes wrong, there’s someone held
responsible,” he said.
SAFS uses the information to
designate people authorized to
transact financial business on
behalf of the organization.
Organizations that have not
returned these forms are subject to
the same penalties as groups that
lave not gone through the process
to become officially recognized -
they are technically banned from
using university property, and can
not utilize the services of SAFS.
“We weren’t able to book a table,
in tliA lintnn until mir Anncfifufinn
was approved,” Schadegg said.
Other groups such as the Abel
Residence Association were able to
meet despite the fact that they had
not returned their signature form.
“We haven’t actually had meet
ings, just executive board meet
ings,” Matt Knobbe, president of
the Abel Residence Association
said. “No one tried to stop us,” he
said.
Knobbe’s group turned the form
in about two weeks ago, he said it
was important in designating offi
cial university organizations, and
that his group will submit the form
soon.
Beyke said ASUN has “worked
diligently” to ensure all organiza
tions comply with this policy.
“We use mailings, postcards and
some phone calling,” Beyke said.
“As I see people on campus, I even
personally suggest they turn the
form in.”
PRE-HEALTH STUDENTS!!!
Planning for your future in a
Health-Care. Field?
Representatives from UNMC Office
of Financial Aid and Student Admissions and Records
HAVE INFORMATION FOR YOU!
September 23, 1997, 7:00-8:30 p.rn.
Centennial room, NE Union
i " " 1 --—-1
Dinosaur Theater and Auctionl
Sept. 27th at Morrill Hall
14th A U Streets
What a more fun than Plaza on a
Saturday night?
PIZZA, A CLASSIC FUCK ft BIDDING ON COOL
STUFF!
10 Bucks at tha door gats you
. ' • t ;