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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1990)
The Battalion Page 5 —Shuttle problems slow progress ice crew observes white dwarf star Jat killed < CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Columbia’s astro nauts got in twice as much stargazing Wednesday, but remained far behind and nowhere near full speed be cause of problems with the shuttle’s $150 million obser- piltsl vatory. Airlines “We’re trying as hard as we can,” astronaut and as- xonomer Ron Parise told ground controllers at the end (leredtlu pfh> s 12-hour shift. tth of a) oaring 727’s w were» r John 1 hroueii et ...all® marking 1 the id rom the mi Uiii :fo Parise and astronaut Robert Parker, hampered by a ittery instrument pointing system, got in 35 percent of he observation time planned for their shift. Seventeen percent was accomplished in the crew’s previous work period and none before that, mission scientist Ted Gull aid. Although Gull could not say when the Astro obser vatory might reach peak efficiency, he was confident urther fine tuning would increase viewing time. The 10-day shuttle mission ends Tuesday. “We’re starting to think science ... and that is what it’s all about,” Gull said. Among Wednesday’s observations were a white dwarf star — a star near the end of its life; a galaxy hat’s 41 million light years away and is believed to con tain a black hole; and Crab Nebula, a remnant of a su- ernova that occurred more than 900 years ago. The'National Aeronautics and Space Administration had hoped to start making scientific observations with Astro late Sunday but had to delay work because of trouble with the pointing system’s star trackers. As Astro’s pointing problem dragged on, scientists removed more targets from the viewing lineup. About 250 celestial sources of ultraviolet light and X-rays were supposed to have been studied, including galaxies, qua sars and a supernova. _ Ti ;fl Odt# that cats 1 nent ai tternityP oer repot' were idaviis ct Judjf in con^ 1“ jxanref itions: jbvf J ikulis $ ity pad! lembef’ re take 8 ' y were and i)e !!f at. The four astronomers aboard Columbia manually operated Astro’s pointing system for the third straight day Wednesday, using a joystick and keyboard to steer the three ultraviolet telescopes toward desired stars. When possible, the telescopes were aimed automat ically, normally a quicker and more precise method but impeded by a bad star tracker. At one point, Spacelab Mission Operations Control’s John David Bartoe informed the astronauts that “this is by far the most stable pointing we’ve seen so far.” “Except that the target isn’t in the aperture” of the telescope, Parise replied. New software was transmitted Wednesday to correct the star tracker’s sensitivity to light and hopefully im prove its sighting of dim stars. Observations were briefly halted Wednesday af ternoon when one of four small jets in Columbia’s aft failed because of a helium bubble in a fuel line. While it was out, the telescope lenses were covered for protec tion. There were moments of excitement amid the exas peration. NASA scientist Randy Kimble was elated with obser vations of the white dwarf star by the Johns Hopkins University ultraviolet telescope, with which he works. The star has never been studied with such sensitivity or resolution, he said. Because the astronauts had to manually operate the system, the observation lasted only two-thirds as long as planned. Astro’s X-ray telescope, which has its own pointing system, began operating Wednesday after falling out of alignment late Tuesday. r : : iternif!? solicit' ittfiise ft1 mdhf one call-" ,ityK ohol f sleep _ nterW'f said by the' 1 only ster, “is the" e. TheJ ore Aggieland Pictures Juniors, Sophomores, Grads, Meds, & Vets through Dec 12 AR Photography 707 Texas Ave Suite 120B (next to Taco Cabana) Monday-Friday 9-12;1-5pm PAYS CASH FOR USED BOOKS! Redmond Terrace Northgate Southgate next to Academy across from Post Office on Jersey Street MEAT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE HOLIDAY SPECIALS! ©Hd&U 1 QaiFir QtDdAQ SAUSAGE AND CHEESE GIFT BOX $19.95 ea. An Aggie decorated box containing approximately 1 lb. of Summer Sausage, t to. of Beef Stick Sausage, and 2 lbs. of Cheddar Cheese. BEEF TENDERLOIN STEAKSis.nu ioib.box«)$6.29 per lb. The gift for the extra special person. These steaks are boneless, closely trtrxned and cut 1-1/2" thick. Approximately 15 to 20 steaks per 10 lb. box. BEEF RIBEYE STEAKS (5«i<noib.boxes) $5.79 per lb. The perfect gift for the beef lover. These steaks are 1-1/4" thick, boneless, and closely trimmed. Approximately 12 to 14 steaks per 10 lb. box. BEEF STRIP STEAKS ( s»nd ioib boxes) $5.49 per lb. These top loin steaks are boneless and ready for the grill. They are extra tram, and cut 1-1/4" thick. Aoproximately 12 to 14 steaks oer 10 to. box. HICKORY SMOKED and cured hams BEEF JERKY BONE-IN (Half Pound Bag) $1.98 per lb. $8.99 per bag BONELESS $3.69 oer lb. V/SA Other gift ideas, beef, lamb, pork, sausage, dairy products, and farm fresh eggs are available. All products are sold first come first serve basis. Prices effective while supplies last or until December 22, 1990. We are open for business Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.rn. to 6:00 p.m. We will be closed from December 22 through January 1. (Phone:345-5651) For smooth-talker Joey O'Brien, life is no bed of Rollses, His job's on the line, he's got too many women to love and too many bills to pay. If that's not not enough, his world is about to be invaded by a love-sick terrorist who's going to show him what a bad day really is. ROBIN WILLIAMS TIM ROBBINS a D0NALDS0N/R0VEN-CAVALL0 ^ a ROGER DONALDSON ROBIN WILLIAMS TIM ROBBINS "CADILLAC MAN" PAMELA REED FRAN DRESCHER TED KURDYLA XJ. PETER ROBINSON ^GENE RUDOLF DAVID GRIBBLE “t? 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