The Battalion
Thursday - June 26,199
Astronaut reveals Mir fire was worse than reported!
Blaze occurred last February aboard the 11-year-old Russian space statioi
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA
and Russian space officials insisted it was
no big deal, just a nuisance really, a minor
fire aboard space station Mir that was ex
tinguished in 90 seconds.
Only now, with astronaut Jerry
Linenger’s recent return from Mir, is anoth
er, terrifying story emerging about the fire
last February.
The fire raged for 14 minutes, Linenger
says. Flames shot out 2 feet, smoke choked
passageways and chunks of molten metal
spewed from a burning canister, blocking
one of two routes to Soyuz escape ships.
Six men and one lifeboat capable of
evacuating no more than three — the situ
ation had seemed too farfetched for flight
controllers to consider seriously. Until it
happened Feb. 23 on the world’s only space
station, 250 miles above the Earth.
The fire is receiving new scrutiny in light
of Wednesday’s collision between Mir and
a docking cargo ship. Both incidents high
light the increasingly precarious condition
of the 11-year-old space station, designed
to last only five.
Linenger, a doctor and two-time space
flier, told The Associated Press he considers
the Mir blaze the worst spacecraft fire since
the Apollo 1 inferno killed three astronauts
on the launch pad in 1967.
“Apollo 1 is the worst fire because of the
consequences,” he said in the interview last
Friday. “In flight, there’s nothing approach
ing that fire (on Mir). For an in-flight fire,
that was the worst. You don’t want to be any
more severe.”
In Wednesday’s accident, the cargo ship
missed its docking port and crashed into a
solar panel then punctured or tore a hole in
one space station module, which rapidly
lost pressure and was sealed off by the crew.
“Serious stuff again,” Linenger said
Wednesday as U.S. and Russian officials
sorted options. “Decompression and fire
are big things you have to worry about, and
we’ve had both of them.”
Linenger suggested that poor commu
nications between ground controllers and
Mir—rather than any desire to obscure the
truth — led to confusion over the fire’s du
ration and severity.
“Yes, we think now that it lasted much
longer than 90 seconds,” Jim Van Laak,
deputy director of NASA’s shuttle-Mir pro
gram, said Wednesday.
^ ^ For an in-flight fire,
that was the worst. You
don’t want it to be any
more severe.
Jerry Linenger
Astronaut
It’s possible, Van Laak said, that the crew
may have reported a 15-minute fire to Russ
ian Mission Control and that a decimal point
was later inserted, making it 1.5 minutes, or
90 seconds. No transcripts exist of the space-
to-ground conversations, he said.
In addition, new and pressing problems
aboard Mir in subsequent weeks — failures
of oxygen generators, malfunction of the
carbon dioxide removal system, the near-
miss of another cargo ship — pushed con
cern about the fire into the background.
Details of the fire weren’t known until
Linenger returned to Earth on May 24 and
began a series of NASA debriefings, Van
Laak said.
Here is Linenger’s chilling account of
what happened:
Late that Sunday evening, Linenger was
working at the computer when the master
alarm sounded. He’d heard countless
alarms during his month aboard Mir, most
set off by minor equipment failures.
Then came the cry, “Seryozny!”
“It’s serious!”
In the central passageway Linenger
saw dense smoke pouring from the Kvant
1 module, where the solid-fuel, oxygen
generating canister was ablaze. Smoke be
gan filling the station. The four Russians,
one German and Linenger swiftly donned
oxygen masks.
Linenger and two cosmonauts fought
i’ll
the fire; the three others prepared a
for evacuation. The second Soyuz w
of reach, beyond the fire.
“The flame was maybe 2 feet flying
of this thing. It looked like sparklers goi
off and molten metal flying,” Linengersa
“It almost looked like SRBs (solid-fuelra
et boosters on the space shuttle) —you ^
most can't look at them they’re so brighi ^
was a hot fire.”
Mir’s fire extinguishers were usi
against the burning lithium perchlorai
the crew could only let the fuel burnil
out. They turned the extinguishers on
module’s walls instead; they knew if
aluminum hull ignited and bui
through, the station would decompress,
quick-get-into-your-Soyuz-vehicle" sil
ation — at best.
Mir was out of contact with Russian MiL
sion Control when the fire erupted,
Linenger was ready to use a ham radio;L ve ]|
alert'the Russians through the Johnso;
Space Center in Houston that “an evacui
tion is a possibility and be ready forit."
He never made the call. He had notimliDt,,
Princess Diana
sells royal ‘rags’
NEW YORK (AP) — They're not your aver
age hand-me-downs.
Eighty gowns and cocktail dresses in every
thing from black taffeta and ivory satin to deep
green sequins — all of them castoffs from
Princess Diana’s closet—were sold at auction
Wednesday evening at Christie’s.
The most talked-about celebrity auction
since Jackie Onassis’ heirlooms were up for bid
raised $3.25 million for
AIDS and cancer charities.
“I hope that people will
enjoy this, that they’ll buy
the dresses to wear, to have
fun in them,” Christie’s In
ternational chairman
Charles Hindlip said in an
nouncing the auction. “Di
ana, Princess ofWales, has
got superb taste, and I
think many people will
want to emulate it.”
The auction is the first such sale of royal
discards. Used dresses usually are passed on
quietly to discreet upper-crust friends.
It will take a certain body type to wear the
clothes of a princess. The custom-made
gowns have no formal sizes and are roughly
equivalent to an American size 6 or 8.
The bidding was quick as the sale got un
der way. The first gown, a wrap-around white
silk chiffon evening dress by Gina Fratini, sold
for $75,000.
The princess, who is divorced from Prince
Charles, reportedly decided to auction the
gowns for charity at the suggestion of her 14-
year-old son, Prince William.
Swiss banks to release Holocaust account information
Jewish groups claim there are billions of dollars in unclaimed deposits from victim
Princess Diana
BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss banks will publish
the names on unclaimed Holocaust-era accounts
around the world next month, they said Wednesday. For
the first time, they also agreed to let an outside body de
cide the claims.
Swiss banks have been under international pres
sure to release what Jewish groups claim are billions
of dollars in unclaimed deposits from Holocaust vic
tims. The steps announced Wednesday were pro
posed to make it easier for victims and their survivors
to reclaim their money.
The procedures, which also set deadlines for claims
to be made, were agreed to by Switzerland’s banking
commission, the Swiss Bankers Association, and an in
ternational panel led by former U.S. Federal Reserve
Chairman Paul Volcker.
The goal is to provide “prompt and final results with
full justice for the claimants,” said a joint statement re
leased by the banking commission.
The banking commission said it is sending a letter to
all Swiss banks, requiring them to report by July 7 the de
tails of all foreign-owned accounts that have been dor
mant since 1945. The banks will have to give the names,
addresses and other identifying data on each account.
By Sept. 15, the banks will have to report all Swiss
owned accounts dormant since 1945.
On July 23, Swiss banks will start publishing the
names on the unclaimed accounts in a number of coun
tries, including Israel and the United States, andputthe
lists on the Internet for maximum exposure.
Anyone who is the rightful heir of the owner ofanac-
count will have six months after publication to filf
the accounting firm ATAG Ernst and Young, the joint
statement said.
Deserving cases should be honored even if tlieclaims
are filed late, the joint statement said.
Republic of Congo’s militia
accused of targeting civilians
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — A
leading member of President Pascal Lissouba’s
party resigned Wednesday over allegations that
militiamen loyal to the president are deliberate
ly killing civilians in the capital.
Hundreds of civilians are believed to have
been killed since fighting broke out June 5 be
tween the forces of Lissouba and former mili
tary dictator Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
Some civilians were victims of stray bullets or
shells. There have been repeated allegations that
many others were killed in their homes by
members of Lissouba’s private militia.
The victims hail originally from the
country’s north, a Sassou-Nguesso strong
hold, a military source said, speaking on
condition of anonymity. Lissouba has de
nied the allegations.
But the persistence of the reports drove Sen.
Odiki Ekoto Eyenga to resign Wednesday from the
ruling Union of Action and Social Democracy.
“I refuse to be implicated in these acts of
tyranny,” he said. “I firmly condemn the abus
es committed by the president’s militia in out
lying neighborhoods, where many deaths have
been reported.”
An International Red Cross official con
demned attacks on civilians but did not pin ei
ther side with responsibility for the killings.
“Warfare should involve only the combat
ants,” Christel Darki said in a statement tele
vised Tuesday in Brazzaville.
Darki also urged both sides to permit aid
workers to clear corpses from the streets of
the capital, a task frequently interrupted by
fighting.
Mir
Reveille
Continued from Page 1
The laboratory module is equipped with four elec-
tricity-producing solar panels, none of which is work
ing now, and contains much of American astronaut
Michael Foale’s belongings, including his bed, clothes
and half his science research. Many of his experiments
were probably ruined.
President Clinton was receiving frequent up
dates from NASA and said through his spokesman,
Mike McCurry, that he remained committed to the
shuttle-Mir program.
Thomas
Continued from Page 1
“We’ve got a lot of challenges, and we hope we can live
up to them,” Thomas said.
Thomas served as interim director of PEAP the
last two semesters.
Joining Thomas on the World Championships
staff will be Lloyd Brown, head coach; Sherri
Rhodes, team leader; and Lisa Francine, sports
psychologist.
Rhodes acted as head coach of the Olympic team in
1996 and is in charge of transportation, meals and oth
er management during this year’s competition.
Rhodes and Brown are from the ARCO Olympic train
ing center in Chula Vista, California.
Continued from Page 1
When she is not traveling, Reveille stays
with Bailey at his San Antonio home. He said
she likes to go outside and play with Frisbees
for fun.
Traditionally, Reveille may sleep in any
bed in the house, Bailey said, although she
prefers the couch.
Bailey became the mascot corporal dur
ing Parent’s Weekend last April. He said it is
the responsibility of the E-2 sophomore class
to care for Reveille, and one sophomore is
chosen from the outfit each year to be mas
cot corporal.
Jay Boynton, a sophomore cadet in Com
pany E-2 and a business administration ma
jor, said Bailey is Reveille’s main caregiver, but
the rest of the class is there to help him.
“He’ll leave her with one of us when he has
to go somewhere he can’t take her, or we’ll
take her to a function when Jeff can’t go,”
Boynton said.
In an April 1990 issue of The Texas Aggie,
Jerry C. Cooper, Class of ’63, wrote in an arti
cle titled “Comnas’ Story Adds Details to
Reveille Narrative” that Aggies have told
many stories about how a dog became A&M’s
mascot. The most popular one was written by
A&M Assistant Information Director H.B.
McElroy, Class of’38.
In 1940, McElroy wrote that a group of Ag
gies returning to College Station from Nava-
sota late one night in 1931 hit a small puppy
with their Model T Ford. Worried they had
killed it, they checked and found that the
puppy was fine and decided to bring her back
to their residence hall with them.
In the April 1944 issue of Our Dumb An
imals, in an article titled “Beloved Mascot
of a College,” G.B. Winstead wrote that not
long after she was found, Reveille “roamed
over the entire campus,” eating at Sbisa
Dining Hall, sleeping in any bed she want
ed and walking in and out of the Aggie
Band formation.
Bailey said because Reveille does not run
free across campus anymore, students think
she is just the E-2’s mascot or the Corps mas
cot. But he wants everyone to remember she
is the mascot of the entire student body.
Bailey said that when he was doing re
search on the history of Reveille in the A&M
archives at Cushing Memorial Library, he
found a quote by General Thomas Darling,
the Corps Commandant before Major Gen
eral M.T. “Ted” Hopgood Jr., that motivates
him to give Reveille the respect she deserves.
“Reveille symbolizes the spirit, cama
raderie and pride in this University,”
Thomas said. “It’s the spirit that Reveille
brings out in people.”
GOP, Gingrich defend
prospected tax cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) — With a
showdown looming, House
Speaker Newt Gingrich touted
GOP-crafted tax cuts Wednesday
as designed to help more Ameri
cans “move toward prosperity.” A
leading Democrat dismissed
such claims as “claptrap” de
signed to obscure a windfall for
the rich.
“They have been after tax cuts
for the wealthiest Americans for
15 years,” charged Rep. Richard
Gephardt of Missouri, the House
Democratic leader. “That’s what
they want to
do,” he said of
Republicans.
“That’s what
they think
their mission rw
in life is.”
Despite the
rhetorical
clash, there
was little doubt
that both the Gingrich
House and
Senate were on track for passage
of the biggest tax cuts since Ronald
Reagan sat in the White House.
While the two bills differ widely
in detail, each would extend tax
breaks totaling roughly $ 135 billion
over five years to families with chil
dren, investors, students, estates
and others. The centerpiece of both
bills is a $500-per-child tax credit for
families, a remnant of the “Contract
With America” that helped fuel the
GOP rise to power two years ago.
Both bills would also raise oth
er levies, including a 20-cent-per-
pack increase in the tobacco tax in
the Senate measure.
In the House, where a vote was
set for Thursday, Gingrich and the
GOP high command expressed
confidence they would prevail over
strenuous Democratic opposition.
The political dynamic was dif
ferent in the Senate, where a
drafted with Democratic suppo/i
in the Finance Committee waser-
pected to come to avotebynwfr
end. There, Republicans were
equally confident of success,and
an aide said Sen. Tom Daschle of
South Dakota, the Democratic
leader, was weighing a vote in fa
vor of the measure.
In both the House and Senate,
the tax cut grew out of a balanced
budget accord negotiated be
tween President Clinton and con
gressional Republican leaders.
And in a matter of political posi
tioning designed to build support,
the GOP majority in both the
House and Senate held the tax cut
legislation off the floor until legis
lation containing politicall)
painful spending cuts had
been approved.
The run-up to the vote was
marked by clashes that bore re
semblance to political campaigns
In the House, Gingrich spoke a'
a pep rally-style meeting of the rani
and file, standing in front of a ban
ner that read: “Tax relief for even
taxpayer at every stage of life.”
In his remarks, the Georgit
spoke of a “historic moment”
the Republican majority thi
came to power in the 1994 elec
tion. “It provides economic o]
portunity for more growth, arf
more jobs, and more wealth erf
ation, so more Americans cat
move towards prosperity.”
A brief while later, Gephard
and other Democrats renew®
their attack on the same measuff
“The Republican plan gives
big tax cut to the wealthies
Americans and hurts everyonf
from kids to low-income work
ers to seniors in the process,
said Gephardt.
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