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3 regained contact with Earth at 2:26 a.m.
Thursday at the latest. Mission
nizers were scrambling to regain contact
said several features aboard the probe
3 designed to reconnect it with Earth in
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Lost in space
s Mars Climate Orbiter fails to re-establish contact with Earth
case of a computer shutdown or other
common spacecraft problems. The probe is
supposed to make systematic observations
of the atmosphere and surface of Mars. The
mission is scheduled to span one martian
year, 687 Earth days.
The spacecraft is slowed down by frictional drag as it
flies through the upper part of a planets atmosphere.
87-pound
-as to have fired
engine early
)y, slowing the
aft to 9,840
m its
netary cruising
if 12,300 mph.
ibout a half-
e craft was to
hat it was not
g past Mars or
g to the surface.
HE MISSION
14-hour period 10-hour period 5-hour period 1.9-hour peril
Sept. 23, 1999 Oct. 9, 1999 Oct. 29, 1999 Nov. 19, 199!
leans atmosphere detecting visible
ght and various spectral bands of
ifrared radiation
4
(^2) Data is sent to Earth and analyzed
^ by scientists
( 3A Scientists create a
y vertical profile of
Mars’s atmosphere
Vertical profile
>nals
ALL
space
ISADENA, Calif. (AP) — A
Hmillion NASA spacecraft that
â– raveled 416 million miles to
â– vanished yesterday as it was
nut to go into orbit around the Red
feei and was feared destroyed.
It was the second time in six
m B a NASA spaceship was lost just
,, ' itreached Mars.
“ ' The Mars Climate Orbiter, which
ig aaB Dn a m j ss j on to study the plan-
jffveather and look for signs of
1 iter, apparently flew too close to
fMartian atmosphere and broke
.Man or burned up, the
s t v. ; iency said.
Fi'in: Human or soft-
r tht ire error was
ibhhly to blame.
iSA said me
al problems
Wed out.
apparent
fter the $1
Mars Ob-
0 balance probe dis-
e to takel'ed in 1993,
wait for® as Con-
â– is threaten-
1 solidr t0, ut a large portion of NASA’s
“We arfN exploration budget, and the
playsonBY' s tr Yi n g to show that it can
ave tobe* 1 “f aster > cheaper and better”
grouMf fsA officials said failures are to
that |P ectec l since probes are now
IQ, jj llaunched every 26 months.
'â–  nint l e y a l so pointed to their suc-
1 S I’ such as the Mars Global Sur -
10 , U1 spacecraft and the Mars
vecmes(i« nc ] er> w ] 1 j c j 1 landed on the
pet with a little rover to much ac-
in 1997.
/hen you’re launching mis-
â– at such a such a vast and rapid
|te, there is simply statistically a
p ,-|ter trend that you’re going to
1 "W/ma loss,” Carl Pilcher of NASA’s
: A&Mof Space Exploration said,
not yet,â– Ve went into this with our
to prod® open, and we understood
fensivef 1 that greater rate could mean
“We went into
this with our eyes
open ...”
— Carl Pilcher
NASA’s Office
of Space Exploration
ut their
I
pi
“Wl
• AP/Wm. J, Gastello. Justin Gilbert. Gerardj
a loss. We’re going to persever. ”
The Climate Orbiter was last
heard from about 2:06 a.m. POT, five
minutes after its main engine had
fired to slow down the spacecraft so
that it would be captured in the plan
et’s orbit.
Controllers at NASA’s Jet Propul
sion Laboratory cheered at the news.
As the probe flew behind Mars,
controllers expected to lose its signal
briefly, then regain it as it came back
into view.
But controllers quickly learned
that the pobe’s closest approach was
about 12 1/2 miles
under the lowest
survivable altitude.
As the minutes
ticked past, worry
spread across their
faces. One man
twisted his wedding
ring; another sat on
the floor.
The Orbiter car
ried instruments de
signed to study the
atmosphere and the
fate of water that was believed to
have once pooled in huge oceans on
the planet.
The information is key to under
standing whether life ever existed or
can exist there.
In 1993, the Mars Observer van
ished as its fuel lines were being
pressurized before the craft’s de
scent into orbit. An investigating
panel concluded that a fuel line had
probably broken during the long
journey through space.
The Climate Orbiter was the first
of two probes arriving at the Red
Planet this year in a $327.5 million
exploration program.
The Orbiter’s companion, the
Mars Polar Lander, was launched
separately and is due to arrive Dec.
3. NASA said that mission will not
be compromised by the destruction
of the Climate Orbiter.
OP plan vetoed
Resident rejects tax relief bill
i
itial ti)*|
t we’ve
lent. Tl
for us
of $
inse ff‘ :;
affense.
;n teste! |ASHlNCTON (AP) — President
ilayetk Ion vetoed the Republicans’
efenses 92 billion tax-cut bill yesterday as
/ great®big, too bloated” — apparently
to line â– 'ling chances for any sweeping
make'â– eduction this year. Republicans
m lastWdClinton-“has stolen this tax
twosc* rom working American fafni-
24-6 i'll ,
rConniWith his signature in a Rose Gar-
I â– ceremony, Clinton guaranteed
> gamem' ecbon "y ear tax ar g ument be ~
rries ttiF en Re P ub li cans an( d Democrats
!, ’ -l|iey fight for control of the White
VaHffr 6 and Con S ress -
* 1761®^ a dme wben America is mov-
° • s ® 11 tbe r *§ bt direction,” the presi-
d' 1 / rat said, “this bill would turn us
M HV PQk to the failed policies of the
; r ' • ■ "
in^Mtepublicans shot back that taxes
rears Btoo high and that Americans de
ary ol.-®e a break.
year, fcouse Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-
)e th L said it was “kind of a sad day.”
ed bvâ– lintoh signed the veto message
lest ffl'Ba wooden desk on a warm, sun-
e are â– autumn morning before an audi-
itry tkfice of Cabinet members, White
â– j plafBuse staff and Democratic allies
from health and minority groups.
The Marine Band’s brass quintet en
tertained the crowd with George
Gershwin’s “Summertime” and oth
er melodies.
After months of White House
warnings, there was no suspense
about Clinton’s veto, the 26th of his
presidency. With Congress strug
gling to adjourn by Oct. 29, it ap
peared highly unlikely Republicans
would accept Clinton’s suggestion to
send him a smaller tax bill, in the
$300 billion range that he had pro
posed.
Senate Majority Leader Trent
Lott, R-Miss., said Congress would
look at another tax package next
year. Hastert said the GOP would not
give up on tax relief but “it may be
later and not sooner” — suggesting
that Republicans would rather take
the issue to the voters in next year’s
elections than compromise with the
president.
The White House said GOP pres
idential candidates — Republican
front-runner George W. Bush, in par
ticular — should say whether they
agree with their leaders in Congress.
The ELC is a two-day conference designed to build unity and leadership skills among
engineering students, although it is open to all students. Included are socials, workshops,
a design project competition, and dinner and lunch.
Cost $5.00. You can register by filling out registration forms found outside 204
Zachry and 219 Wisenbaker and placing them inside the box marked “Engineering
Leadership Conference” along with your $5 registration fee. Registration Deadline:
September 29 at 5pm.
For additional information, call the Student Engineers’ Council at
847-8567 or visit us online at http://sec.tamu.edu/elc
Sponsored by the Student Engineers ’ Council, IBM, Intel, and EDS
’3.95
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located at 1410 Texas Ave. South.
No appointments necessary. Open M-F 9-12, 1:30-5.
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