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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1979)
_ \ . • . • , , . . • . : ■:;|.i^ w.**?.*?.U{f* 1 [kylab touchdown completed; ASA officials exhilarated 5 United Press International ^ gOUSTON — Skylab’s fall into the Indian Ocean Wednes- Hfll lwasn't quite like the tree falling unnoticed in the forest, but ■A-Rouhi Wed.lthoi • lb. >1,7)1 iriitd i. ‘2 •19/ USDi Chois close and that suited Johnson Space Center officials just he more anticlimactic, the better, spokesman Jack Riley after tracking data suggested the 77-ton abandoned space ion fell into one of the least traveled areas of the globe, ylab’s last day began at 1:23 a.m. CDT at an altitude of 80 [tical miles when controller Mike Hawes relayed to the San- , Chili, tracking station the commands that sent Skylab into inal tumble. t 2:51 a.m., Santiago sent Skylab into that tumble and at a m. the Madrid, Spain, tracking station confirmed it. Con- ler Cindy Major confirmed shutdown of Skylab’s control pscopes and tooted a left-over New Year’s Eve party horn rold time’s sake.’ After that it was just a matter of waiting. It couldn’t mave gone better,’ Hawes said, grinning. We felt good about it,” JSC Skylab operations manager arles Harlan said. “We knew we were on a good revolution. ided on its own where it would enter. We could not have isen a better track.” ix orbits later at 11:07 a.m, on its 34,981st orbit, Skylab’s ir panels flew off, and it began disintegrating over its last :king station, Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Ian was surprised at the slowness of disintegration. Vfter we had the Ascension pass, I got to thinking you couldn’t kill this spacecraft,” he said. “We were frankly amazed at the toughness of the spacecraft in holding together. ” Harlan said the projected sequence of disintegration was that the flimsy solar panels would fly off first. Then the solar tele scope mount separated from the laboratory and living areas and those two large pieces descended and disintegrated separately. At 11:38 a.m.. Norad trackers tentatively confirmed splashdown of all pieces of Skylab — with the closest pieces to Australia estimated to have fallen 900 miles out to sea. “We re in the process of determining the real impact point,” Harlan said. “That’s the area I would have picked.” It was midnight in western Australia when Skylab fell and an airline pilot reported he had been flying at 29,000 feet over southwest Australia when he saw it break up into pieces,” Har lan said. “He described a blue glow that turned to orange and finally disappeared.” After she tooted her party horn, Major climbed atop Building 36 at dawn to watch Skylab — a bright but fading speck in the half-lighted southern sky make its final pass over JSC. “It was kind of sad,” said Major, 27, who has spent her first year with NASA wrestling with Skylab. “When you’ve spent a year of your life babying something, you kind of hate to see it come down.” But others at JSC were simply glad it was all over. ’It seems like Americans really wanted a disaster and we’ve gone and disappointed them again,” spokesman Kay Ebeling said. “Where’s the party?” Home, sweet home Battalion photo by Lynn Blanco Grady Harman, Jim Hisne and Grant Darnell form a welcoming committee at 307 Timber in College Station while they wait for the arrival of Skylab. The three were still waiting in the early evening for a piece of Skylab to fall in their front yard so they could start celebrating its arrival. Battalion Weather Fair to partly cloudy. Warm with a high in the mid-90s with a low in the 70s. Possibility of thun dershowers this afternoon. Thursday, July 12, 1979 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Texas farmers advise wheat trade in exchange for OPEC oil supplies United Press International AUSTIN — A Florida attorney and a group of Texas farmers Wednesday an nounced formation of an organization they said will push to cut off food exports to OPEC countries until the OPEC price of oil is reduced. Ellis Rubin of Miami, who earlier initi ated a move to boycott Shell Oil stations during July because that company was the first to reduce gasoline allocations to its dealers, called Wednesday for an embargo by the International longshoreman’s union against loading or unloading any goods shipied to or from OPEC countries. Rubin said the new ’’United Stand” or ganization wants a bushel of wheat priced at the same level as a barrel of oil. “I call upon the 10,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association to place an embargo on our shipments to and from the OPEC countries, and with out our food they cannot exist because you can’t drink oil,” Cubin said in a news con- Carter rules asks nation’s out decontrol; leaders for aid Too tired to party Finals take their toll on everyone and Constantino Romero, a sophomore in chemical engineering, is no exception. Battal ion photographer Clay Cockrill caught Romero as he “studies” for his American history final in the MSG browsing library. Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill urricane Bob hits; one fatality reported United Press International GRAND ISLE, La. — Hurricane Bob spared the populated area of the southeast Louisiana coast Wed nesday but unleashed strong winds that killed one man as it moved in land and damaged buildings, trees and power lines. The storm lost its hurricane classification at 2 p.m. (CDT) Wed nesday as it moved into southwest Mississippi more than 100 miles in land. Its map coordinates were latitude 31.0 north, longitude 90.5 west. Continued weakening and further downgrading to tropical depression status was forecast by Wednesday night, the National Weather Service said. However, forecasters said tor nadoes and flooding could still oc cur. The hurricane’s top winds were radition upset Unhed Press International Huricane Bob, the first Atlantic tropical arm to carry a man’s name, breaks a tra- tion that dates back to 1953 when U.S. vernment agencies began using wo- ten’s names for identification purposes. 75 mph when it crossed the Louisiana shoreline soon after day break. Hurricane Bob had startled weather forecasters Tuesday with its rapid growth from a minor tropical depression to a full-fledged hur ricane in less than nine hours. But Bob failed to reach the giant pro portions commonly associated with killer hurricanes of the past. United Press International WASHINGTON — President Carter, having ruled out decontrol of gasoline prices and, apparently, a tax cut, Wednes day brought business, labor and urban leaders to Camp David for their ideas on how to help the economy. Heading the guest list were the board chairmen of some of the nation’s largest corporations and unions, civil rights lead ers and Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall. Also on hand was the chairman of the Se nate Employment Committee, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis. Press secretary Jody Powell said Tues day Carter believes removal of price con trols would be too inflationary. He also said the prominent non government economists invited to the presidential retreat Tuesday agreed that Carter should not heat up the economy now with a tax cut, even though a reces sion is in sight. Some of the economists said the nation is in a recession now. There were indications Carter would re turn to the White House Thursday after noon, and it was understood that some of his speechwriters already are at work on a major report to the nation. Winding down the conferences, the President invited employment experts and later state and local officials to huddle with him at the mountaintop retreat Wednes day. He also planned to interrupt the morn ing session for a brief talk with Zimbabwe Rhodesian Prime Minister Abel Muzorewa, who is seeking U.S. diploma tic recognition and a lifting of sanctions against his nation. Searching for broader solutions to the malaise that he believes has spread throughout American society. Carter con ferred Tuesday night with 10 or so of the nation’s most prominent religious leaders from all faiths. Carter’s cloistered probing for new ideas from a spectrum of experts and out side of government is viewed by many ob servers as the watershed of his presidency. He believes the deliberations have had a “sobering effect” on the country, and he is developing a much needed consensus for programs he will present. Many observers believe the president's political future will ride or fall on the re sults. He has been out of the public eye since last Tuesday. White house official photo graphs depict him in casual togs with his wife Rosalynn at his right hand, taking notes in the conference room at Laurel cottage. Powell said there was “general agree ment” among those attending the three- hour economic session Tuesday that the government should not act now to end the economic slowdown. The matter “needs additional informa tion, additional time, before those deci sions could be made that will be well founded,” Powell said. ference. “Refusing to load or unload OPEC shipments would be the rallying point for Americans. The sooner the better.” Travis County Commissioner David Samuelson, who joined Rubin in announc ing formation of the group, said its mem bers will include farmers, independent truckers and “plain old American citi zens.” The two urged farmers to organize a wheat cartel — called the Organization of Wheat Exporting Countries, or OWEC, to bargain against OPEC nations in exchang ing food for oil. “For every hike in crude, we’ve got to hike the price of food, ” Rubin said. “Iran would starve without our exporting rice to them; the other Arab crude oil producers need another kind of oil — the huge amounts of corn oil that only the United States can supply.” He said until such time as a bushel of grain sells for the same price as a barrel of oil, the $80 billion in investments in U.S. banks, stocks and bonds should be frozen by the U.S. government. From campus to war and back Vietnam veterans at A&M adjusting and questioning Thermostat controls set; Congress’ offices exempt United Press International WASHINGTON Starting Monday and lasting for at least the next 90 days, public buildings may not be air- conditioned cooler than 78 degrees and hot water cannot be heated above 105 de grees. President Carter, declaring the exis tence of an energy emergency, Tuesday activated the standby regulations on sum mer and winter thermostat settings in pub lic and commercial buildings to conserve power. If the emergency persists into winter, the buildings may not be heated above 65 degrees and the hot water thermostat limit would remain in effect. Carter said in a proclamation he had been advised by Energy Secretary James Schlesinger that continued reductions in crude oil supplies have resulted in a na tional energy supply shortage. Exemptions in the thermostat plan cover elementary school buildings, hospi tals and buildings in which climate and water temperature are governed by health regulations. But government buildings are even harder hit. With few exceptions, they must be cooled no lower than 80 degrees. The Capitol and Congressional office buildings are not covered. By ROBIN THOMPSON Battalion Staff Most people have forgotten that only a little over five years ago, 18- year-old male high school students were registering for the draft. The Vietnam war was over for the most of the people of the United States in 1973, but it still isn’t forgotten by the ones who were involved in it. One of those people is Jeff Bogert, a junior philosophy major at Texas A&M University. Bogert was a nuclear engineer in the Navy for six years during the Vietnam era. When asked about those years, he said, “As far as I’m concerned, if I could forget six years of my life, that would be fine. Bogert is bitter about being drafted out of college. He was at tending Texas A&M when he was called on to enlist. “It really bothers you,” he said, “because you’re thinking, ‘I’m minding my own business. What do I want to go out on a rice paddy and shoot people for?’” Even today, after finishing his stint with the Navy, Bogert still has trouble accepting the facts of the war. “I still think about it. Did I do right or did I do wrong?” he said. In all the time he has been back from the war, he said no one has answered these questions for him. Nor has he adjusted to the fact that he may never know the answers, he said. He went through what he calls the post-Vietnam syndrome when he left the Navy. Its symptoms are, he said, inability to concentrate and face reality. “You get so used to living in a very tense situation with stress on you that when the stress is re moved, you can’t handle it.” He said this is because “subcon- sciencely you realize that you can’t handle the real world.” Bogert, 26, said another problem he faces coming back to A&M is that most of the students and even some of his professors are younger than him. The thing that bothers him most about this, he said, is that not only do people not know much about the war, but “they don’t care.” “You come back and its kind of like being in the twilight zone,” he said. “Nobody wants to admit you’ve been there.” All these things; lack of recogni tion, realization that his effort was wasted, and tension caused by stress, Bogert said, make him bitter about his involvement in the war. “Any way you look at it, the vet eran is the victim of the war,” he said. All Vietnam veterans are not as bitter as Bogert. Dr. N. D. Ship- man, a physician in Bryan who served in the Navy’s sea-air rescue team during 1967 and 1968, said he did not agree with the war, but he did learn something from it. “It makes me appreciate life and it makes me want the most out of the time I have,” he said. “You know that the next morning you may get up and instead of your buddy’s face that turns to mush when it gets hit by a bullet, it may be your face.” Shipman, like Bogert, is bothered by the fact that he thinks Vietnam was a political war. “The only thing that is really up setting about the whole war is that instead of being a war, it was a polit ical battle that was really fought over here while we got shot at over there,” he said. As for dealing with the stress, physical injuries, and other prob lems associated with veterans, Shipman said it is a matter of having a positive attitude toward reality. “If you take an T can’t’ or defeatist attitude, you’ve lost your battle be fore you ever started,” he said. Veterans administration offers help to veterans here Vietnam veterans are faced with many problems, but they can turn to the Veter ans Administration for help with some of them. Jim Moore, Veterans Counselor and Advisor for the Handicapped at Texas A&M University said that 457 students took advantage of the G.I. Bill during the first summer session. Of those students, he said, 358 were act ive during the Vietnam era. The bill benefits those who were active between January 1, 1955, and January 1, 1977 and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. It authorizes payment by the Veterans Administration to the veteran while he goes to school. For example, a veteran with no depen dents going to school full-time receives $311 a month. There are different rates for veterans with dependents and those going to school part-time. Other benifits under the G.I. Bill are home loans and dental and medical care along with vocational and educational counseling. Moore said, for those with mental prob lems, the V.A. provides help through the Veterans Outreach program although he said “I have people with a lot more physi cal problems than mental problems. The Veterans Outreach program in cludes assistance with drug and alchohol abuse. There is also a Vietnam Veterans Civic Council which meets monthly in Waco. Its purpose is to keep communication be tween Vietnam-era veterans and provide a forum where they can present complaints and suggestions to the V.A.