will \ni
the All.
Invita.
Houston,
daughta;
Callihaii
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, April 14, 1970
Telephone 845-2226
Apollo 13 Heading Back
With Little Air, Power
- IN TROUBLE—A model of the crippled Apollo 13 space
craft. One astronaut is in the center section of the craft,
and two others are in the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM),
the lower portion of the vehicle.
By Paul Recer
(/P) Aerospace Writer
SPACE CENTER, Houston —
The Apollo 13 astronauts carrying
a diminished oxygen supply, fired
their only working rocket Tues
day to start their disabled space
craft on an arc around the moon
and then back to earth. Their
moon landing mission was can
celed and they were more than
200,000 miles from home.
Astronauts James A. Lovell
Jr., John L. Swigert Jr. and
Fred W. liaise Jr. fired the de
scent engine of the small lunar
lander, Aquarius, without which
they would have been trapped
forever in orbit of the moon.
Officials said the situation was
“under control . . . We have a
safe situation at the moment.”
Christopher C. Kraft, deputy
director of the Manned Space
craft Center, said, “If the situa-
FDT Makes It Three
With Saturday Victory
Texas A&M’s Fish Drill
Team made it three in a row last
Friday, winning the National
ROTC Drill Championships com
petition in Washington, D.C., for
the third time in as many years.
It was the first time a unit
has won the meet three years in
a row. The 932 points racked up
by the cadets was the best score
by an A&M team at the meet and
one of the top scores ever there.
The FDT’s nearest competition,
Pennsylvania Military College,
scored 44 points behind, with 888.
Saturday, the fish reasserted
their claim to the national title
by taking first place in the Cher
ry Blossom Festival Parade of
Princesses.
That night, they were the
guests of the Washington Sena
tors at a game against Boston.
The cadets led 18 cars carrying
festival princesses into the sta
dium.
A&M commandant Col. Jim H.
McCoy called the team’s double
triumph a masterful feat reflect
ing hard work, well-drilled skills
and outstanding leadership.
The opposition agreed. A mem
ber of Penn Military College said
right after the fish perform
ance: “We didn’t think we had
any competition until we saw
A&M.”
Rutger’s University’s executive
officer polled his team on how
he thought A&M scored. The esti
mates ranged from 940 to 980
points.
A&M had a couple of bobbles.
One fish caught a thrown rifle
in cradled arms near the armory
floor. Another let a spinning
weapon strike hardwood of the
50 by 100 yard bunting-draped
competition arena. His eyes were
moist as the team left the field.
J. Malon Southerland, team ad
viser, said that the “tremendous
ly complex sequence” devised and
taught by the team’s student ad
visers, headed by senior Richard
Gonzales, played an important
part in the FDT’s victory.
Southerland described the se
quence as “a combination of
Northeast and Southern ele
ments,” assembled so that climac
tic portions are accented by
freezes.
“The cessation of sound makes
people — including judges — stop
talking or writing and focus on
the team,” Southerland said. Then
the fish carried off the intricate
throws, movements and manuals
flawlessly.
“Rick (Gonzalez) is due credit
for that,” the sponsor declared.
“He has the best knowledge of
movements, manuals and that
sort of thing of anyone I’ve been
associated with.”
The San Antonio senior is the
only cadet with the team includ
ing upperclass advisors, who has
not marched on a national cham
pion.
Sophs David R. Calvert of
Shreveport, Larry Larsen of Dal
las, Burkett and Louis Ullrich of
San Antonio and Carl Olsen of
Panhandle marched with the 1969
champs. Hanes and Hamilton
wore the black helmet and white
ascot of the 1968 national titlists.
Gonzalez was right guide and
“triple” thrower (three mid-air
spins of the nine-pound rifle) of
the 1967 team that was national
runnerup.
“This year is much more than
adequate compensation for my
freshman year,” Gonzalez de
clared.
Environmental Group Given
Official Recognition, $630
By Billy Buchanan
Battalion Staff Writer
The Symposium for Environ
mental Awareness has been rec
ognized by the Executive Com
mittee of Texas A&M University
as a bona fide student activity
and the committee has given ap
proval to the symposium’s $630
budget.
Dr. John C. Calhoun, Executive
Committee member, said that the
committee gave “very enthusias
tic” approval of the syposium.
The budget will cover the vari
ous activities of the symposium
through April 22.
The symposium is sponsored by
the Forum for Environmental
Studies, the student chapter of
the American Institute of Archi
tects.
Bill Voigt and Don Coon are
coordinators of the Symposium
and Joe Flores is president of
the FES.
The program for the symposi
um is divided into three phases.
The first phase consists of ac
tivities before April 22, the sec
ond phase consists of the activi
ties concerned with the symposi
um’s program in G. Rollie White
Coliseum on April 22 and phase
three consists of the activities of
a study program that will be
carried on by the FES after April
22.
The program April 22 will be
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.
highlighted by an address by Dr.
Donald D. Dunlop, assistant and
science adviser to the Secretary
of the Department of Interior.
Dunlop will present an overview
of environmental problems on a
national scale and discuss the
program and policies of the De
partment of Interior and other
offices and agencies.
Other speakers on the program
will be Charles Bardon, executive
secretary of the Texas Air Quali
ty Board; Hugh Yantis, execu
tive secretary of the Texas Water
Quality Board; Howard B. Bos
well, executive director of the
Texas Water Development Board;
and W. J. Cutbirth, director of
administrative services of the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart
ment.
Symposium members will pre
sent programs at Allen Military
Academy and to a PTA group at
Bowie Elementary School April
16, Janet Wall, co-chairman of
the committee for presentation of
programs at local schools of the
symposium, said.
About 1,500 posters depicting
air and water polution will he
distributed by symposium mem
bers on campus and in the Bryan
and College Station area this
week.
Environmental displays by sym
posium members will be in the
library through April 22 and in
the Memorial Student Center
April 19-22. These displays will
depict various environmental
tion remains stabilized, there is
no question that we can bring
them back to earth safely.”
A serious drop in electrical
power Monday night signaled 1 the
beginning of the emergency. Mis
sion Control said the command
ship had a major leak from one
of the super-cold oxygen storage
tanks. What caused the leak was
unknown. The impact of a meteor
was considered one remote pos
sibility.
The astronauts, fighting to
keep enough air to survive until
they return to earth, siphoned
oxygen from the moon lander.
The ruptured tank exhausted the
oxygen from the command ship.
The moon lander, still attached
to the command ship, was to have
taken astronauts Lovell and Haise
to the moon’s surface Wednesday.
Now it must keep the three space
men alive.
“This is as serious a situation
as we have ever had in manned
space flight,” said Kraft.
Friends and neighbors quickly
gathered at the homes of Lovell
and Haise.
Apollo 12 astronaut Charles
Conrad went to the Lovell house
to comfort Mrs. Lovell and her
four children.
“She’s pretty calm, but tense,”
said Conrad as he left the house
on a motorcycle. In answer to a
question, he said: “Sure, they’ll
make it. Of course, it’s always a
shame to give up a mission.”
“I’m not saying another word
until Jim gets back home,” Mari
lyn Lovell told newsmen.
Astronaut Alan L. Bean went
to the home of Haise. Mrs. Haise
has three children and is expect
ing another in June.
Swigert is a bachelor and has
no family here.
Officials said the Apollo 13 as
tronauts will depend on the small
moon landing craft—docked to
the command ship—as a life boat.
It is providing them with oxygen
and electrical power, both vital to
survival in space.
Officials said Apollo 13 would
have to circle the moon in order
to return to earth. This path was
faster than turning around and
returning directly to earth be
cause the spacecraft picks pp
problems.
Several campus and civic or
ganizations have passed resolu
tions in support of the symposi
um. Among those showing their
support are the Student Senate,
Civilian Student Council, Gradu
ate Student Council, Battalion,
A&M chapter of the American
Fisheries Society, Texas A&M
Wildlife Biology Association,
A&M chapter of the Wildlife So
ciety, student chapter of Ameri
can Institute of Planners, Brazos
chapter of American Institute of
Architects, and the Brazos chap
ter of American Institute of
Planners.
College Station mayor D. A.
(Andy) Anderson has issued a
proclamation declaring the week
of April 19-25 as Earth Week
and April 22 as Earth Day.
In his proclamation Anderson
said that “environmental degra
dation in our nation has advanced
to a point where the quality of
continued human existence may
be threatened.”
He went on to say, “Our own
community has a stake in the
quality of the future to which
we are committed by the very
nature of our life.”
Anderson ended his proclam
ation by saying, “I urge and en
courage any and all local indi
viduals and groups to cooperate
in whatever measure they may
be asked or in whatever measure
(See Environmental, page 2)
speed from the gravity of the
moon. The moon’s gravitational
field will whip Apollo 13 around
and send it back toward the earth.
The spacecraft is expected to
land on earth sometime Friday.
Officials at the Houston Space
Center, appearing calm but clear
ly concerned, said preparations
were being made for the craft to
land either in the Pacific or At
lantic Ocean depending on flight
developments and that aid would
be accepted in the Atlantic Ocean
In their desperate journey
home, the astronauts will ride
with two spacemen in the com
mand ship and one in the small
er lunar module. The astronaut
in the moon lander must be al
ways awake and alert to assure
the systems continue to operate.
Oxygen is fed into the com
mand module through a tunnel
in the moon lander.
Uncontrolled gyrations, thought
to be caused by the venting of
the oxygen, caused the spacecraft
to toss and twist out of control
from the ships of any nation,
at several points after the emer
gency began.
It was several minutes before
Mission Control announced the
source of the problem: a critical
leak in the supercold oxygen
storage tank of the command
ship. What caused the leak was
not known.
Tlie loss of oxygen made re
maining in the command ship
impossible, and Mission Control
began giving the spacemen pro
cedures to follow for occupying
the moon lander.
The lunar module on which
their life depends is designed to
support only two men but can
accommodate three in emergen
cies. Never before have three
depended on its limited electri
cal and oxygen supplies for sur
vival in space.
The astronauts are expected to
fire the descent engine of the
moon lander as they pass be
hind the moon. This rocket fir
ing will break the gravity hold
of the moon and start the trio
homeward.
The spacemen probably will
ride in the lunar module, until
they approach the earth’s at
mosphere.
They may then return to the
command module and; use its
small remaining oxygen and bat
teries to return to earth.
The lunar module is not design
ed to fly in earth’s atmosphere
and would dissolve in fire if they
attempted to land in it.
The emergency developed first
as a major loss of electrical pow
er.
An oxygen tank supplying an
electrical power cell in the space
craft apparently ruptured.
Flight Director Glynn Lunney
said oxygen pressure in the space
craft was dropping alarmingly.
Moments later the astronauts
(See Apollo, page 3)
Apollo’s Primary Power
Produced by 3 Fuel Cells
SPACE CENTER, Houston (A>>
—The Apollo 13 spacecraft gets
its primary power from three fuel
cell power plants located in the
service module that is attached to
the cone-shaped command module.
Two of these fuel cells went out
Monday night.
Each of the three fuel cell
powerplants consists of 31 cells
connected in series. Each cell
consists of a hydrogen compart
ment, an oxygen compartment
and two electrodes. One of these
electrodes-or conductors-is for
hydrogen, the other for oxygen.
Hydrogen and oxygen are sup
plied to tht cell under regulated
pressure. Chemical raction pro
duces electricity, water and heat
with the reaction being con
sumed in proportion to the electri-.
cal load.
There are byproducts, water
and heat. These are used to
maintain the drinking water sup
ply and to keep the electrolyte
at proper operating temperature.
There are three silver oxide zinc
storage batteries that are nor
mally used to supply power to
the command module during entry
or after landing and they supple
ment the fuel cells during periods
of peak power demand. The bat
teries are recharged as necessary.
An ultra-low temperature gas
storage system supplies the hy
drogen and oxygen used in the
fuel cell powerplants, as well as
the oxygen used in the environ
mental control subsystem.
The system consists of storage
tanks and associated valves,
switches, lines, and other plumb
ing.
The hydrogen and oxygen are
stored in a semi-gas, semi-liquid
state; by the time they reach
the fuel cells, however, they have
warmed considerably and are in
a gaseous state.
During high power demand or
emergencies, supplemental power
can be supplied from the bat
teries.
State Department Official
To Complete GI Seminar
Wednesday — Cloudy, scattered
afternoon thundershowers. South
erly winds 10-20 mph. High 82
degrees, low 66 degrees.
A&M Student
To Conduct
Campus Polls
An A&M student has establish
ed a campus polling service.
Sophomore accounting major
Julio Richer has founded the
PEAR Association to conduct
statistical research, polls and sur
veys on the A&M campus. Ac
cording to Richer, the word PEAR
is taken from the first letters
of the phrase, “Resident After-
Election Poll” and spelling them
backwards.
To test his fledgling organza-
tion, he plans to conduct three
polls within the next two weeks.
In his first, Richer plans to con
centrate on his home residence
hall, Moses, working there from
7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Next week he will conduct two
polls, one will be before the
general elections on April 22,
and after on April 27. Richer
says he still needs pollsters to
help him in the election polls.
Results from all his surveys
will be published in The Battalion.
GREAT SAVINGS PLANS made
even better by new legal rates at
FIRST BANK & TRUST. Adv.
The final program of the Great
Issues Eastern European - U. S.
Relations Seminar Thursday will
feature Jean Tartter of the U. S.
State Department.
Tartter will speak on “Eastern
European-U. S. Relations” at 8
p.m. in the Memorial Student
Center Ballroom, announced Great
Issues Committee chairman Tom
Fitzhugh.
Tartter’s will be the last semi
nar of the four-part series which
had earlier programs by Marjan
Oslnik, Yugoslav Embassy coun
selor; Yuli M. Vorontsov of the
Russian Embassy and Dr. Zdenek
Matejka of the Czechoslovakian
Embassy.
Fitzhugh said all persons —
students, faculty-staff and area
citizens—will be admitted free to
Tartter’s talk.
Tartter, 45, is currently assign
ed to the Office of Eastern Euro
pean Affairs of the State Depart
ment and is in charge of Polish-
Hungarian -Czech economic af
fairs.
He served in the U. S. Army
in Europe and the Far East in
the mid-1940s and in 1948 re
ceived an undergraduate degree
from Brown University.
Since joining the Department
of State, Tartter has served as
vice consul in Austria, Scotland
and Canada. After an assignment
in Washington, D. C., he was a
member of the U. S. delegation
to NATO, working on the defense
committee.
Tartter was in charge of Swiss-
Benelux economic affairs during
1963-67. During the first year
he attended the Armed Forces
Staff College at Norfolk, Va.
From 1964 to 1967, he was con
cerned with European community
affairs.
During two-year assignment to
the U. S. Embassy in Warsaw,
Tartter visited Hungary and
Czechoslovakia, returning late
last year to his present position
ill Washington.
- . - mm mmm m *
„ .. -.f.' . '''
Slllil
r
W
' % ^
a • •-
m
—
IBlll
■■
I
gan
w
lliljg
gffg
MONDAY SPECIAL—The Spiral Starecase plays Monday night in G. Rollie White Coli
seum to a small, primarily high school-aged audience during a Town Hall Special Attrac
tion performance. (Photo by Robert Boyd)