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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1986)
Wednesday, February 12, 1986/The Battalion/Page 7 ul/aldo (Mbc, I Just found out &B0UT Tty/$ YALE STINE lARP CONTEfT, ANP X )-HWK IT'3 REALLY nice, I'M WONDERING... WHY DID YOU LET THE &ATTAt.lOW SPONSOR THIS contest? NORMAL PEOPLE WOULDN'T be CAUGHT DEAD IN THE BATTALION newsroom! 1 AT EASC OFFICE > by Kevin Thomas battal/oa/ yALENTlNE CARO .^jCoon's Kingdom by D. Coon wfBOft, KHAMFy s/lys *5 me FOR YOUR A- Mm so YOU WILL 5IIEP mu RAY, IT'S MEH NICE (ooch) mmih' yoO. yw TOO, GOO Goo KACHOO, W, WAKE UP! I WHERE AM 1 ? you're mu I HOMP^r-rr MOW'D / GET HERE?; rm m ’Ians for space vehicle continue as scheduled By ROBBYN L. LISTER Reporter Despite the tragic explosion of the space shuttle hallenger,” the development of a transportation tern to Mars at Texas A&M will continue on sched- says Stan Lowy, assistant dean of aerospace engi- lering. The project, funded by NASA through the Univer- y Space Research Association, is a cooperative ven- e hirt involving students from many universities, in- pdmg the University of Texas and the Massachusetts stitute of T ech nology. rryafo§Students here at A&M are working on a transporta- n vehicle which will be used to carry the astronauts Mars and return them to earth. The idea is to take six astronauts from a low-earth Jbit ... to Mars and put em in orbit about Mars,” far, Iboi daw electioi ally oil rtanl "5 »u ;y says. The mission will take at ist 600 days to complete ause Earth and Mars ist be lined up for a re- n flight to occur. The isipn includes some time spent on the Mars surface, he says. [The aerospace engi Crowk er ‘ n g students, continuing the project which began ngioJ 1985, are working on the basic design of the vehicle, do null fetyand working space considerations and an exact iess |, ( i ghtpath to Mars. Nuclear engineering students are amining various types of possible propellants for e flight. The students are currently working on a design of a pssive ship, which Lowy estimated would cover arly two football fields at the longest and widest ints. ffie^students have to consider the length of the arney in designing the interior of the vehicle. A trip almost two years will have a great effect on the per- Inalitiesof those involved, Lowy says. Medical problems also play a part in design. Wayne Jack, a graduate student who heads the aerospace am, says artificial gravity will be neccesary on the ve hicle because the calcium in bones begins to deterio rate after spending time in a weightless environment. Rotation arms, like a bucket swinging on the end of a string, will be used to produce the artificial gravity, Black says. Lowy says the flight path determined by the team requires a spiral orbit around the earth for about 145 days. During this time, he says, the ship will pass through a radiation belt above the earth, so the stu dents plan to taxi the astronauts to the ship after it is above the belt. This will lessen possible radiation ef fects. Black says they also will incorporate a process called shadow shielding. The shield will protect the astro nauts from radiation caused by the nuclear reactor which may power the ship, he says. Cosmic radiation also poses a potential danger, Black says. A well-shielded “safe haven” could protect the astronauts from a haz ard such as solar flares, he says. The entire ship would have a minimum of shield ing, he says. Robert Montgomery, a nuclear engineering grad uate student who has worked on the project in the past, says the students have examined several possible propellants for the ve hicle. A nuclear thermal rocket would use a reactor to heat either hydrogen or helium gas, which would be propelled out the back as in the space shuttle, Mont gomery says. This would replace the burning of gas. The waste caused by the reactor would diffuse rapidly in the vacuum of space so the ship would not be af fected, he says. However, Montgomery says an ion propulsion sys tem would be more likely. An electrical ion rocket would be used to generate electricity, which would then generate charged ions. The ions would then be ejected from the nozzle, pro pelling the craft. Choose one: A Traditional Valentine... or a New Valentine Tradition... Heart-Shaped Pizza from Flying Tomato! Perfect as a romantic dinner or late night snack, or as surprise gifts to the special someones in your life. We're taking pre-orders Feb. 8-13 (in person only - sorry no phone calls), so here's what you do: 1. Go to your local Flying Tomato Pizza in a Pan. 2. Say, "I want to order a heart-shaped pizza in a red heart-shaped pan.'' 3. Fork over the cash. 4. Then prepare yourself for your sweetie's uncontrollable enthusiasm. Let the others bore'em with cards, candy and flowers. You'll be the one remembered (and embraced!) for beginning the Flying Tomato Heart-Shaped Pizza tradition with your sweetie(s)! Available February 13, 14, or 15 for pick-up ttZZ&'S't&t) 303 W. UNIVERSITY Dorm Students! “Prepare your hearts for Easter” Lenten Worship Series in All Faiths’ Chapel sponsored by Gnited Campus Ministry Holy Communion Service - led by Mike Miller (VCM), Stacy Ikard (VCM intern for Princeton Semi nary) and A1 Krumminocher (Princeton) 1 Opm-10:45pm Thursday Nights All students and faculty invited Randy Stonehill Satirist and Songster In Concert Monday, February 24, 1986 Tickets $5 in advance $6 at the Door Buy Early! Sponsored by Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship 7:30p.m. at Rudder Auditorium Tickets available at Rudder Box Office For information call John 260-1033 /KlErX Black Awareness MSG “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal.” Martin Luther King Nobel Laureate for Peace Tuesday, February 18,1986 7 pm. Rudder Theater ■t’s not too long until you’ll be walking up to get your degree. But there’s something you could get right now that will help you in any walk of life. The American Express® Card. Because if you’re a senior and you’ve accepted a $10,000 career-oriented job, you could get the American Express Card. That’s it. No strings. No gimmicks. (And even if you don’t have a job right now, don't worry. This offer is still good for 12 months after you graduate.) This is a special offer from American Express be cause, as graduating seniors, we think you’re kind of special. In fact, we believe in your future. And this is the best way we know to prove it. Of course, the American Express Card will prove to be a great help to you in your career—for travel and for entertaining. And, to entertain your self, you can use it to buy some new clothes for work or some new things for home. In addition, the Card is also a great way to help you begin to estab lish your credit history. So call 1-800-THE-CARD and ask to have a Spe cial Student Application sent to you. Or look for one on campus. The American Express Card. Don’t leave school without it. 31 * auz TM The Flying Tomato is a registered trademark © 1986 Flying Tomato Inc. <01985 American Express Havel Related Services Company. Inc