European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 a a the stars and stripes Friday december 7,1690computer problem shuts Down Astro a a a a a. A a a a. A a. Space Center Houston a columbian Sas Tro nauts thursday lost the Only working computer Ter Minal for operating their $150 million Observatory once again shutting Down their stargazing efforts. In the latest glitch on the problem prone scientific Mission the flight deck computer overheated and shut Down automatically thursday morning. The same thing happened sunday with the Only other similar terminal. It Nas remained off since then. A although the Crew smelled something burning each time no smoke was reported in the Cabin there was no danger to the Crew but their observing was halted by the second computer shutdown the suspension in observations by the three ultraviolet telescopes was expected to last until late thursday night if not longer As the National aeronautics and space administration scrambled to devise a. Plan to control the instruments from the ground. A we know its going to be difficult a said Mission scientist Ted Gull. A but we re not giving the Telescope lenses were covered for Protection As ground controllers tried to get either of the problem computer terminals working. At the same time they quickly developed a plan in which the telescopes would be brought Back up one at a time. At least one of the computer terminals is needed for the astronauts to operate the Astro Observatory a three ultraviolet telescopes. When the computer that crashed sunday was opened thursday its air Venus were found to be clogged with lint the astronauts said by radio. The reason for thursdays problem with the second computer was not immediately determined. Columbian a commander Vance Brand said other computer screens unrelated to the malfunctioning ones that guide the ultraviolet telescopes still were working Well the astronauts manual Star tracking system also appeared to be Fine and the Crew planned to use it with commands sent from the ground while efforts continued to restore a computer. A it was the latest setback in a flight that has already been plagued by technical problems. As a result the Crew s astronomers have missed roughly half the celestial targets they had hoped to observe by now. Earlier during intermittent failures of the automatic pointing system the astronauts wiggled a video game like Joystick and used a computer keyboard a the one the cargo package for the Astro Observatory sits outside the space shuttle Columbia. That has since malfunctioned a to position the telescopes manually Nasa said. Nasa said the Crew had charted just 45 of 86 intended targets through Early wednesday. Scientists had planned to begin using the Observatory late sunday the Day the shuttle lifted off. The schedule for the 10-Day Mission is tight but Nasa said the Crew might be Able to make up a few hours viewing time toward the end of the flight if things go Well. a by the new York times. A fake edition of the student newspaper at the state University of new York at Binghamton threw the Campus into turmoil on wednesday with front Page headlines announcing . Invades Iraq and a Tsuny Binghamton students the bogus Issue using the logo and format of pipe dream which is published twice a week was distributed across Campus wednesday morning r a editors of pipe dream said a student group looking left known for its Radical politics had produced it to make an Antiwar statement. Both front Page stories included disclaimers in their last paragraphs on inside pages a the events described above have not happened. Yet. But they but Many students and staff members believed that War had indeed begun. They embraced and cried of. Campus and a. Dining Hall employee whose son is Sta. Toned in saudia Arabia Janout of the War Story building screaming. The College radio station began Broad. Casting that the United states had gone to War based on the Dummy Issue. A a in a appalled a said David Landerson the interim vice president for student affairs who said he knew immediately that the paper was a hoax. A Many students do rely on their Stur Dent newspaper for current events a an Derson said a and Many reacted to How legitimate it appeared a at the suggestion of pipe dream editors the University printed 4,000 fliers by 2 30 . Wednesday that said War had not begun and that pipe dream had not published the Issue a we were inundated with several Hundred phone Calls a said Matthew m. Furman a Junior and the managing editor of pipe dream. Furman said he had spoken to looking left a president John Assalian who said the group financed the publication. Assa Lian could not be reached for comment Northwest Jet running Low on fuel forced to make emergency Landing Newark . A a Northwest airlines Jet made an emergency Landing at Newark International Airport because it was Low on fuel an Airport . Flight 90 was diverted from Laguardia Airport in new York City and landed without incident shortly after to . Wednesday As emergency equipment stood by said James Baxter Airport duty manager. The Boeing 757 with 183 passengers and seven Crew members left Minneapolis St. Paul at 6 20 ., said Northwest spokesman Bob Gibbons. Buses were being arranged to take passengers to la Guardia about 20 Miles away he said Dibbons said late wednesday he did no to know yet what caused the Jet to run Low on fuel _ the incident came two Days after two Northwest jets collided in heavy fog at Detroit metropolitan Airport killing eight people and injuring 24. Nuclear Energy has a cow Over Washington a the nuclear Power Industry has been having a meltdown Over a the the prime time cartoon shows evil Power Plant owner with an overbite the dozing employees and a three eyed fish named Blinky All have contributed to driving Industry officials into a critical mass. But More than anything Homer Simpson has them glowing under the Collar. The . Council for Energy awareness an Industry information group first told the producers of a the Simpsons in a letter last february that it was horrified to see nuclear Plant workers portrayed As a bungling idiots. A a top a idiot Quot on the councils list was Homer father of the Simpson family and an employee of the fictitious Springfield nuclear Plant. Homer Quot per a Petu ally in need of a shave seems to care less about safety than about naps doughnuts and having enough tartar sauce for his fish Sticks. In various episodes Homer gives away the plants blueprints to a foreign Exchange student his Boss tries to bribe a Plant inspector with a Bushel of Cash and three eyed a a Blinky is found swimming near the Plant a i am sorry that a the Simpsons has offended a lot of people in the Energy Industry a executive producer Sam Simon said in a feb. 5 letter to Carl Goldstein a vice president of the Energy group a a agree with you that in real life Homer Simpson would not be employed at a nuclear Power Plant a on the other hand he probably woul Dnn to be e employed after they exchanged a few More letters Simon finally suggested that he and other Fox broadcasting co. Executives tour a nuclear Power Plant. In april the group converged on the san Onofre nuclear Power Plant in san Clemente Calif Quot. Quot Quot. Simon said the tour showed that a the Simpsons had been right a and wrong a about Nudera Power. Although they did Little initial research he said the show s creators seemed to accurately represent worker conditions a the cafeterias lunch pails and radiation warning signs. The writers placed Homer in a a a sector to illustrate an impersonal bureaucracy then discovered some plants actually. Used . And Simon also said the tour also a changed a lot of Peoples minds. I think the facts Are pretty powerful that its a clean and Safe and important source of Energy. While some of the shows were in the works before we really backed off that As a source of comedy. No More three eyed but Don t have a cow Simpsons fans a a the show will continue to Jab the Industry in its third season next year but in a More responsible Way Simon. Said a. For example Homer is to begin a dinner Grace with this a thank you for nuclear Power which has yet to cause a single fatality at least in this country a. V
