I Page 10 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 4. 1981
Nation
t Fuel tank insulation cracks
Key problems delay flight
United Press International
s WASHINGTON — Space agency engineers have
' been warning for months that problems during the cru
cial final eight weeks of tests could force new delays in
the postponed initial flight of the space shuttle Col
umbia.
Such a problem surfaced last week from an unex
pected source — the big piggyback tank the Columbia
will haul into space to supply the hydrogen and oxygen
for the re-usable rocket plane s three main engines.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration offi
cials announced Monday that insulation troubles with
the tank will delay Columbia’s maiden launch from
March 17 to the week beginning April 5. Unofficial work
schedules established April 7 as the new target date.
Although the 54 1 /z-hour orbital flight is more than two
years behind schedule, the new postponement was the
first substantial delay since last July.
The last testing milestone, now scheduled for Feb.
16, is a dress rehearsal countdown that will lead to the
firing of the Columbia’s three main engines while the
ship remains locked to the Cape Canaveral launch pad.
The insulation problem was discovered following
tests Jan. 22 and 24 in which more than a half million
gallons of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
were pumped into the external tank for the first time.
Cracks in three sections of polyurethane foam that
had been sprayed on the tank tipped engineers off to the
problem. Jack Wild, deputy director of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration’s expendable
equipment office, said test borings showed that a hard,
high-temperature insulator beneath the foam had sepa
rated from the tank’s aluminum skin.
Wild said it appears workers may have waited too long
between applying the glue and the insulator. The opera
tion must be completed within 60 minutes for proper
bonding.
The insulation problem occurred on the side of the
tank facing the shuttle. This is a difficult area to reach,
and technicians plan to erect special scaffolding to make
repairs after completion of the test firing.
The external tank, shaped like a silo 154 feet tall and
27'/a feet in diameter, is new to the space program.
Unlike one-use only rockets of the past that carried their
fuel internally, the propellants for the shuttle’s three
main engines are stored in the outside tank so it can be
jettisoned after the fuel is burned up.
....;:
THURSDAY,
FEB. 5
7:30 and 10:15 p.m.
SHiNSNG
RUDDER
THEATRE
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■MTWCT1D qa&
FMOhSm*! IUIMui
$1.25
United Pres
In Arkansas, I
irk today, five
inter stage for
ilebrations, bu
;reement that
•eady is the sub
e waged by th
ite shah of Iran
Detroit planm
lion ofFreedon
mes Jr. and An
bicjr. ofRoch
lared Tuesday ‘
inner hostage
ihaefer.
Arkansas pis
me its native s<
id Marine Sgt.!
parade, a legisl
Mark Pearcy, left, an environmental design senior, and
senior biology major Kenneth Peck, representing the Texas
A&M Fencing Team, square off in a foil fencing demonstra
tion held tuesday in the MSC Student Lounge. The
team is hosting a tournament this weekend in east Kyle Field
Man claims bankruptcy for more tlm
$6 billion in mine futures collapse
United Pres
NEW YORK-
aliens, many of
Ithy truck and h
lys, have been;
.rgest raids on h
le city’s history
The aliens, se'
illege degrees, ]
brought to the
ials said. They w
ayintheBronxa
olice to report p
ut of a parked ti
Fifty-one alier
ing in the loci
he other 33 were
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Ski Lodge and Guest Ranch
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JTIHIEaVIR ci .am
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reglcter once per haircut
United Press International
SALT LAKE CITY — Uncle Sam
still holds the record for having the
largest debt in America — but E.
Sterling Hunsaker of Kearns, Utah,
is closing in fast.
Hunsaker, 59, who has started
over 50 companies in his 40 years in
business, has filed for bankruptcy
claiming $613.4 billion in debts. The
national debt is expected shortly to
reach $935 billion.
It’s the largest bankruptcy anyone
in the Utah federal court can remem
ber. “Were not quite sure how to
handle it,” said bankruptcy clerk
Mike Shepherd. “It’s very compli
cated. ”
How can one man owe two-thirds
of the national debt? The answer,
says Hunsaker, lies in gold and oil
certificates sold by a Panam
trust company using 15
claims he owns to attract inveiti
None of the claims has been
The gold is still in the grout
It all started when Hunsakera
up with a plan to build a ce«
plant near Redding, Utah,
would use tar sand as fuel. Hum
n
said he has developed a unit ■ Two Soviet a
NOMINATE
MOM AND DAD
FOR PARENTS
OF THE YEAR
United Pres;
OTIS AIR FOl
ipted off the V
method of recovering natural p
and gold from tar-sand deposits- st week by U.S.
plan major oil companies rejects jgbters and escor
too costly. 'll seaboard, Air
But Hunsaker said he think! jid Tuesday,
process will work, and he setoc The two Rus;
raise money.
applications available Feb. 2-20 in
216 MSC student
He said he made a ded .ill.
people who operated Kmgbr* ^ Guard v
iternational r iduciary Trust - y
Panamanian-based trust conf That was the
In exchange for 40 percent |a nes C ame to th
company Kmgbndge agree! ndmasS) he saj
help raise $200 million for thepii ! de t j lc y
The trust company began is K ‘ t * ons about
gold certificates and gold k ' n 8 s
against Hunsaker’s claims.!' ’ cortet * t ‘ lem to
bonds weren’t supposed tobeifi
emed for 20 years, Hunsakera -
but the investors suddenly te < o
ndlDcHlt.
rcraft were in
demanding payment and suing!
Is There Life After
Graduate School?
Myth:
Fact:
An advanced technical degree will get you a job
in industry that will keep you on the production
line for years before you’ll get a chance to do
some real research.
Fairchild’s Central R&D Laboratories have re
search opportunities for new MS and PhD grad
uates NOW.
At Fairchild’s Central Research and Development Laboratories in Palo
Alto, California, the atmosphere is charged with new ideas, new
developments, and new expansion. Fairchild’s increasing commitment to
strong research programs is extending the frontiers of electronics
technology in telecommunications, advanced VLSI circuit logic,
processing systems, CCD image sensing, CAD technologies, and artificial
intelligence.
All this activity means that opportunities to move directly from graduate
to industry research couldn't be better than right now.
On-Campus Interviews
Friday, February 20
If you're about to receive a Master’s or PhD in a technical field, contact
your Career Planning and Placement Center for an appointment with a
representative from Fairchild’s R&D Labs. For more information on
Fairchild in Palo Alto, call J.A. Blades at (415) 493-3100. Or you may send
your resume directly to University Relations, Fairchild Central Research &
Development Laboratories, 4001 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304.
As an affirmative action employer, we encourage women, members of
minority groups and the handicapped to apply.
F/MRCHILD
Government Office.
Deadline March 2
studknt
GOVKHNMKNT
“I wasn’t supposed to haveti]
anything unless I got funds to Tl V* J |
velop my properties,” he sail
waited for the funding, but iti< „
ha PP en - I RANCHO PA
“I got taken for a long ride A * )atten
only way I could stop was tolili* , "P 0 , P 1 ^
bankruptcy and kill the whole i u i’^™ a ! oc ^ ) ®
• . » Ithe Manneland
Fort to save its 1:
Hunsaker said he doesn’t b He s almost d
how many certificates actually* l0 keswoman Lis,
sold or how much money trust:! l y shortly afte
ers made and kept for themsek ®ed in a salt j
But he had to list all the audio* ,' n , a •
issues of certificates and letteo Manneland oni
credit in his bankruptcy petS ? n ™ a * a 50-50 c
They total a staggeii d the whale app
$613,406,718,185.53. 8 fro , m an llll l ,es
sen diagnosed.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT.
Man learned at a very early age that good ideas have to be
heard to be effective. So he devised his own method of
getting those ideas across. Today, on the job... or in
school, communication remains a vital part of our world.
Which is exactly what we’ll be talking about in the upcom
ing issue of “Insider’’ — the free supplement to your col
lege newspaper from Ford.
We’ll tell you how to improve your communication skills
... from writing term papers and doing oral presentations,
to communicating with friends, parents and persons of
authority. And whether you’re looking for an internship or
a full-time job, we’ve got loads of info to help you get there.
With tips on how to write a persuasive resume, handle an
interview gracefully, use the telephone effectively, and
much more.
We have fou
lits walking him
I sling with tow
ound so he does
ties and hurt hin
lid.
The trainers pi;
ith him througl
A Schlumberger Company
Check out the next issue of "Insider,” and while you’re look
ing, be sure to check out Ford’s great new lineup for 1981.
Including Escort, the new world car that’s built in America
to take on the world.
FORD
FORD DIVISION
Look for "Insider" — Ford's
continuing series of college
newspaper supplements.
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Bist picture, 8
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Jane
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7:25
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Gene W
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7:35
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