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College Station, Texas
Wednesday, April 15, 1970
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Earthward at Last
Apollo 13 Limping Toward Home
By Howard Benedict
UP) Aerospace Writer
SPACE CENTER, Houston —
Apollo 13’s astronauts nursed
their disabled spaceship back to
ward earth today rationing vital
water, oxygen and power to keep
the craft alive for a Friday
splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The three spacemen and Mis
sion Control Center appeared
more confident with every pass
ing hour that Apollo 13 would
make it safely home.
But with two days to go it’s
still a potentially perilous jour
ney, with the astronauts reduced
to dependence on the power and
other resources of the attached
lunar landing craft.
And ahead lies the critical re
entry when the crippled command
ship must carry James A. Lovell
Jr., Fred W. Haise Jr. and John
L. Swigert on a blistering dive
through the earth’s atmosphere.
Splashdown is set for 12:18
p.m. EST Friday. However the
recovery area southeast of Sa
moa was threatened by Tropical
Storm Helen and the astronauts
might have to shift their landing
site.
After hours of calm but tense
composure following Monday
night’s oxygen tank rupture that
wiped out their moon landing at
tempt, the astronauts today were
in better spirits. For the first
time since the chilling accident
that drained oxygen and electrical
power from the command ship
they joked with Mission Control.
They were buoyed Tuesday
night when astronaut boss Don
ald K. (Deke) Slayton radioed:
“We think you guys are in good
shape all the way around. Why
don’t you quit worrying and go
to sleep?”
“We think that is a pretty
good idea” Lovell said. “And at
least part of us will.”
The astronauts have been sleep
ing in shifts so that at least one
is up at all times to monitor the
lunar module systems.
But in the hectic hours after
the accident there was little time
for rest and Lovell complained
Monday night: “We’ve gone a
hell of a long time without sleep.”
The lunar craft Aquarius is
hooked nose-to-nose with the
command ship and the tiny ship’s
oxygen is being used to supply
both craft. The astronauts trans
fer back and forth through a
connecting tunnel.
Short
For
May Be Responsible
Apollo’s Problems
By Paul Recer
AP Aerospace Writer
SPACE CENTER, Houston —
Some spacecraft engineers believe
an electrical short may have
caused an explosion which dis
abled the Apollo 13 spacecraft.
A short circuit in either a fan
or a heater in one of the space
craft’s two oxygen tanks could
have caused a rise in pressure
which exploded the tank, a source
at the Manned Spacecraft Center
said Tuesday.
The two oxygen tanks in the
spacecraft are in the service
module. Each tank has a sort of
electric blanket heater on the
outside and a fan on the inside.
The heaters force an increase
in oxygen pressure by causing
the liquid oxygen in the tanks to
turn into gas. The fans circulate
the oxygen and make the heating
uniform.
The source said a short in a
heater could have caused a rapid
rise in pressure as more oxygen
was turned into gas than the
oxygen system could use. When
this pressure reached 1,530
pounds per square inch the tank
would explode.
If the short was in a fan the
Counselor to Discuss Tonight
Making Marriage Meaningful
A private marriage and family
relations counselor from Austin
will present the second Marriage
Forum talk to A&M students
tonight.
Dr. Robert Ledbetter will speak
on “Making Marriage Meaning
ful” at 7:30 p.m. in the Memorial
Student Center ballroom.
The four-part marriage pro
gram is sponsored by Texas
A&M’s student ‘Y’ Association.
Ledbetter will discuss the sig
nificant emotional problems as
sociated with early marriage,
common conflicts, immaturity in
some marriages, how to handle
tensions, what holds marriages
together and why there is a rise
in high school and college mar
riages.
A 1937 graduate of the Uni
versity of Texas at Austin, Led
better received his Ph.D. from
the University of Chicago. He
served as director of the UT
Methodist Student Center from
m
1956-59, when he entered the
UT Graduate School of Social
Work.
He received his master’s in
social work, with field work for
the degree at the Travis County
(Austin) Juvenile Court and Jew
ish Family Service, Houston.
Since 1961, Ledbetter has been
in private practice, a counselor
at the UT Health Center and a
visiting lecturer in the Sociology
Department.
“We feel the forums provide
an opportunity for those students
planning marriage in the near
and more distant future to learn
many valuable points in consider
ing their partner,” Student ‘Y’
Association president Ed Donnell
said.
The final two forums are sched
uled April 22 and 29. Dr. Henry
Bowman, retired UT-Austin psy
chology professor, will speak at
both on “Sex in Human Rela
tions.”
mui n n ^ U1 iii
TAG ON THE BAG—A&M first baseman Chris Sans re
tires a Rice runner to end the third inning during Tuesday’s
game here. The Aggies swept a three-game series against
Rice to remain undefeated in Southwest Conference play
(9-0) and retain their number 1 rating in the conference.
See story, page 6. (Photo by Mike Wright)
oxygen would heat up unevenly,
again causing a rise in pressure.
The explosion of a metal oxy
gen tank could have sent shrap
nel-like fragments into the second
tank or nearby plumbing. This
could account for the slow loss
of oxygen which emptied the
second tank in three hours.
Space officials discounted re
ports that the oxygen leak and
explosion might have been caused
by the impact of a meteoroid.
Such an impact, they said,
would not explain the increase
of pressure before the explosion.
Officials will not be able to
search the service module for
the exact cause of the explosion.
It will be left in space and will
burn up when it re-enters the
earth’s atmosphere.
Flight Director Gene Kranz
said however that he believed
enough data was obtained before
and after the emergency to per
mit investigators to determine
the cause.
Demolition
Underway on
1904 Building
Demolition of the old Building
and College Utilities (B&C)
Building has begun, according to
Bob Jenkins, planning engineer
for the Physical Plant Depart
ment.
The building, located across
from the Exchange Store, has
been contracted for demolition to
the Hobbs Demolishing Corp. of
Austin.
Jenkins said that the demolition
will also take out a much-used
car wash rack behind the build
ing.
The removal of the building
was approved in 1966 by the
A&M Board of Directors to pre
pare for the tventual extension
of the power plant in that direc
tion.
“But, since there are no im
mediate plans for a building on
that site, it will probably be used
for parking,” Jenkins said. “The
location is really more valuable
as parking space than as a build
ing.”
The building has been used
since its construction in 1904 as
a fire station, the university phys
ical plant, a grocery store, and
the military warehouse.
All the military property in the
building will be moved to the
new dorm services building near
Duncan Hall.
Installment Due
The third board installment
fMs now payable at the Fiscal
Office in the Richard Coke
Building.
Students on the 7-day plan
must pay $84, and students on
the 5-day plan must pay $76.
The installment must be paid
by April 23 to avoid a penalty
for late payment.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.
Early today Haise, standing
watch while his companions slept,
reported a slight venting of gas
from the area of the command
ship’s service compartment, where
the oxygen tank ruptured Mon
day. He also said he saw a four-
inch piece of silver-colored metal
float away from the area.
Mission Control said it didn’t
know whether this was connect
ed with the original rupture or
whether it was something new.
There was no concern because
the service compartment no long
er was needed. It will be jetti
soned before re-entry and the
command ship will fly through
the earth’s atmosphere on a sep
arate battery and control system
designed for re-entry and land
ing.
With 60 hours to go, this was
the situation in the lunar mod
ule Aquarius:
—Electrical power usage had
been reduced from 17 to 14 am
peres per hour, which would leave
a reserve of 500 amp hours at
the end of the mission. Later,
Mission Control reported that at
times the hourly usage rate drop
ped to 12.3 amps.
—The lower power outflow
also reduced the water usage,
and the astronauts were consum
ing 2.7 to 3.2 pounds an hour.
The total water supply was 215
pounds. During periods of heavy
electrical activity, such as engine
firings, the water supply needed
to cool electronics is increased to
five or more pounds an hour.
Mission Control told the astro
nauts they didn’t have to skimp
on drinking Water.
—There were 44 pounds of ox
ygen remaining. At a usage rate
of .36 pounds an hour, the astro
nauts had a 120-hour supply, a
safety margin of 60 hours.
—Sixty-two per cent of the lu
nar module’s maneuvering fuel
remained, more than enough for
normal activity. There also was
considerable fuel left in the
craft’s main engine, which is to
be fired Thursday for a slight
course correction.
A nagging problem was the
buildup of carbon dioxide, a
product of breathing, in the space
ship. That’s because the com
mand cabin’s lithium hydroxide
filter system is not working and
filters in the lunar vehicle must
handle the load.
Lovell reported the problem:
“Our C02 pressure is getting
high. We had a caution and
warning light. We’ve got to rig
up some way to use the lithium
hydroxide canister.”
Mission Control said it was
not alarmed. The carbon dioxide
warning light in the spaceship is
geared to come on when it reads
7.6 millimeters of carbon dioxide.
Officials said persons on the
ground had been tested without
(See Apollo, page 2)
■m. i
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PROUD MOMENT—Joe M. (Mac) Spears III (right), president of the 20th Memorial
Student Center Council and Directorate, receives the Thomas H. Rountree Award, high
est award given by the MSC. David Maddox, last year’s Rountree repipient and now a
graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, makes the presentation. (Photo
by Robert Boyd)
MSC President Given
Group’s Highest Award
By Billy Buchanan
Joe M. (Mac) Spears, III, Me
morial Student Center Council
president, received the annual
Thomas H. Rountree Award, high
est honor for Memorial Student
Center student program partici
pation, at the MSC awards ban
quet Tuesday night.
The senior marketing major
from Alice served as vice-presi
dent of operations for the MSC
Council last year. During his
sophomore year, he served as a
directorate assistant and as vice-
chairman and acting chairman of
the public relations committee of
the council.
Spears is a distinguished stu
dent, distinguished military stu
dent, designated Who’s Who in
American Colleges and Universi
ties, Phi Kappa Phi member,
Phi Eta Sigma member, and was
a fish yell leader.
C. M. Sykes, chief advisor to
the MSC Camera Committee, re
ceived the Lawrence Sullivan
Ross Award, highest honor for
a non-student active in MSC pro
grams. Sykes has been advisor to
the committee for the last 10
years.
Faculty Distinguished Service
Awards went to Dr. William Fife
and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Nicholas.
Fife served on the MSC Council
and the Nicholas’ were advisors
to the annual Student Conference
on National Affairs.
William Lancaster, former as
sistant director to the MSC and
SCONA Finance advisor, and
Robert L. Boone, leadership and
Town Hall adviser, received en
graved pen and pencil sets as
special appreciation awards.
Other award winners include:
Distinguished Service Award—
Carlos C. Almaguer, contempo
rary ax*ts; Thomas C. Condry,
Basement; Tommy B. Ellis, Con
temporary Arts; William J. Fi-
nane, Jr., MSC Council; Harry K.
Lesser, Jr., SCONA XV; H. Davis
Mayfield, III, SCONA XV; Wil
liam D. Reed, Leadership; Mer-
rell Richardson, Town Hall; Har
ry A. Snowdy, Jr., Council; Joe
M. Spears, III, Council; Edward
A. Taylor, SCONA XV; and
Thomas C. Washburn, SCONA
XV.
Outstanding Freshman Award
—Joe R. Arredondo, Jr., Base
ment; Patricia A. Lucey, Great
Issues; and Paul D. Turner, Po
litical Forum.
Outstanding Sophomore Award
—Don B. Mauro, Finance; Roger
P. Miller, directorate assistant;
Michael Van Bavel, Great Issues;
and William W. Webster, Great
Issues.
Outstanding Junior Award —
Thomas C. Fitzhugh, III, Great
Issues and Dennis G. Flannigan,
MSC Council and SCONA XV.
Appreciation Awards—Jack A.
Abbott, Aggie Cinema; David L.
Anschutz, Aggie Cinema; Charles
T. Boerger, Great Issues; A1 L.
Bradley, Jr., directorate assist
ant; Donald E. Branson, Leader
ship; Jim D. Cain, Recreation;
Kent A. Caperton, Council; Ben
jamin R. Chappell, SCONA XV;
Caren S. Conlee, directorate sec
retary; John Michael Cunning
ham, SCONA XV; George S.
Drugan, III, Great Issues; Wayne
C. Edwards, Political Forum;
Glenda F. Freeman, Host and
Fashion; Samuel E. Garcia,
SCONA XV.
Also, Rudy De La Garza, Chess;
Melcin C. Hamilton, SCONA XV;
Virgil E. Hargett, Jr., Aggie
Cinema; James R. Hawthorne,
Leadership; Thomas S. Hender
son, SCONA XV; Jack C. Holli-
mon, II, Town Hall; Patricia S.
Hobgood, Great Issues; Charles
R. Hoffman, Political Forum;
Charles L. Korbell, Jr., Town
Hall; William S. Leftwich, Great
Issues; Gary J. Martin, Travel;
Linda K. Nobles, Basement; Eric
L. Oshlo, Radio; Emil C. Pela,
III, Leadership; Ronald A. Petty,
Contemporary Arts.
In addition, Donald G. Prycer,
Contemporary Arts; Gary E.
Reid, Basement; David H. Rey
nolds, Political Forum; Gary S.
Rosin, directorate assistant;
James W. Russell, III, Great Is
sues; Paul A. Scopel, Travel; Rob
ert E. Smith, Town Hall; Rex E.
Stewart, Town Hall; Mitchell J.
Timmons, MSC Council; Michael
E. Vaughn, Political Forum; John
W. Vogelsang, Town Hall; Gregg
K. Weaver, MSC Council; Michael
Welsh, Camera; and William N.
Willings, Great Issues.
In Inaugural Address
Work Within System, Fitzhugh Urges
By David Middlebrooke
Battalion Managing Editor
The president of the 21st Me
morial Student Center Council
and Directorate Tuesday night
urged those seeking solutions to
problems to work within the ex
isting system, and strongly crit
icized students leaders who, he
said, oppose the admiinstration.
Thomas C. Fitzhugh III made
his remarks during his inaugural
address at the annual MSC
Awards Banquet, immediately
after receiving the office of presi
dent from Joe M. (Mac) Spears
III, the outgoing MSC chief.
Many in the audience were of
the impression that Fitzhugh was
attacking the Fifth Wheel Com
mittee, a group of students who
have fonned a slate of candidates
for almost every office open in
the April 23 geenral election.
Kent Caperton, Student Sen
ate vice president and Fifth
Wheel senate presidential candi
date, expressed shock at what
Fitzhugh had said, although he
said, Fitzhugh later assured him
that he had not been attacking
the Fifth Wheel.
“My comments were not aimed
at the Fifth Wheel Committee, he
said later. “I did not level any
charges at them.”
When questioned concerning
whom he had been making ref
erence to, Fitzhugh declined to
elaborate, saying that he has
said just about all he wanted to
say in his speech.
During his talk, Fitzhugh
pledged himself and the MSC to
working with the administration
in seeking solutions to problems.
He will, he asserted, work within
the system.
“Unfortunately,” he continued,
“there are today certain individ
uals in our student government
who would call themselves ‘lead
ers’ who have united into a
shrewd, calculating and deter
mined opposition against the cur
rent administration. These are
those who do not believe anything
worthwhile has come from coop
erating in the past.
“These people are bent on pro
vocations and confrontations,”
he asserted, “and have stated that
they intend to use every means
necessary—even force—to achieve
their goals.
“It is indeed tragic that these
self-righteous and so terribly
‘persecuted’ individuals cannot
see beyond the edge of their
egos,” he continued,” for it is
only through the combined ef
forts of students, faculty mem
bers and administrators that the
MSC has progressed.”
Fitzhugh said that those lead
ers who believe they can stand
apart will find that whatever
glory they may obtain by being
defiantly independent will be de
stroyed by the decay of a once-
great system.
He said that they should fol
low the example of the MSC,
“which has proven not only is
such coordination necessary, but
can be spectacularly successful.”
“The inference I got when I
first heard those remarks was
that Tom (Fitzhugh) was refer
ring to the Fifth Wheel Commit-
(See Fitzhugh, page 2)
Senators Will Consider
Rights Statement Tonight
The Student Senate will meet
in special session tonight to con
sider the last sections of a joint
statement of student rights and
responsibilities, according to Vice
President Kent Caperton.
The meeting is scheduled to be
gin at 7:30 p.m. in the Library
conference room, he said.
The Senate last Thursday ap
proved the first four sections of
the statement, introduced by Jim
Stephenson, (sr-LA). Sections
passed concerned freedom of ac
cess to higher education, free
dom in the classroom, student
records and student affairs.
Virtually an entire revision of
university regulations concern
ing student life, sections of the
statement still to be passed con
cern off-campus student free
doms, procedural standards in
disciplinary proceedings and dis
ciplinary sanctions.
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