Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1983)
WILDERNESS FIELD STUDIES EARN COLLEGE CREDIT. Natural history, wildlife studies, nature writing, environmental philosophy, field ecology. Courses for 1983 in the Pacific NW, Sierra Nevada, Utah, Hawaii. Spring/Summer/ Fall Quarters available. For information write or phone;: Sierra Institute. Carriage House, Boi C UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Cruz. CA 9S064 (408*29 2761 IV NASA rescues two errant satellites WASHINGTON (AP) - NASA engineers have rescued a $22 million satellite — itself aimed at helping rescue sur vivors of airplane and ship ac cidents — from spinning uselessly in space. And they are preparing to save an errant communications satellite car ried aloft by the shuttle Challenger. Jim Elliott, spokesman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said Monday that the environmen tal monitoring satellite called NOAA-E was finally in place — after a month of spinning like PIZZA PETE’S IAN KITCHEN ALL YOU CAN EAT! SPAGHETTI SPECIAL WITH GARLIC BREAD TUESDAY ONLY 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. •2.75 Delivery Service 2673 Willamette n»*i to th» Black Fomi T»vm 484-0996 a propeller — and is ready to serve as the first spaceborne American search and rescue system. The search and rescue satellite was launched into a near-perfect polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base March 28, but its attitude con trol thrusters fired wildly and sent it into a spin. The firing of the thrusters deprived the craft of pro pellant, and engineers turned to gyroscopes and momentum wheels aboard the satellite, planning to use Earth’s magnetism to stabilize the craft. One radioed command, on April 2, slowed the satellite so it tumbled end-over-end once every three hours. Two weeKS later, while the spacecraft was over Gilmore, Alaska, another command began the stabiliz ing procedure. Engineers are checking out the satellite’s subsystems and turning on its six environmental monitoring instruments and the search and rescue equipment. The American satellite joins two Soviet satellites capable of locating downed airplanes and foundering ships. In the second rescue opera tion, NASA engineers are rea dying attempts to push the world’s biggest and most ex pensive communications satellite 9,000 miles though space into proper orbit. The $100 million Tracking Data and Relay Satellite was carried aion oy me snuiue Challenger on April 4. It went into a misshapen orbit when the engine on an attached rocket quit too early. Instead of a circular path, 22,300 miles above Earth, the satellite, called TDRS, has been traveling a loop 22,000 miles at the high point to 13,600 miles at the low end. If the tests are satisfactory, thrusters will be fired three hours a day for two weeks to get the satellite to a circular orbit. Once in place, TDRS will be able to relay signals from up to 26 satellites to a ground station in New Mexico and will be used to keep in touch with space shuttles nearly all the time they are in space. Senate debates VDT safety SALEM (AP) — With video display terminals being used in a growing number of businesses, steps need to be taken to protect the health of those who operate VDTs, an Oregon Senate committee was told Monday. Several people who testified before the Senate Labor Com mittee said workers who operate VDTs often ex perience eye problems, mus I “Just how loua has Harry thru Haiti na tor Ins ride?" There’s a more dependable way to get there. Greyhound is going your way with trouble-free, economical service You can leave directly from campus or other nearby locations Most schedules have stops at convenient suburban locations And talk about comfort You get a soft, reclining seat and plenty of room for carry-on bags So next trip, go with the ride you can rely on Go Greyhound IM2 fceynound Lmn Inc cle strain and job stress. Those claims were disputed, however, by a spokesman for a company that produces video display terminals. The comments came as the panel opened hearings on a bill, SB568, to provide safeguards for people who use VDTs, which are computerized hybrids that are half typewriter keyboard and half television screen. Introduced by Sen. Margie Hendriksen, D-Eugene, the bill would require employers to pay for annual eye exams for employees who use VDTs. It also would set lighting stan dards for rooms where VDTs are used, require certain kinds of chairs for VDT operators and require rest periods for those people. Among the supporters of the bill was Steven Hecker, an assistant professor at the University's Labor Education and Research Center. Hecker said some of the problems most commonly ex perienced by people who operate VDTs are blurred vi sion and eye strain along with muscle strain. Increased job-related stress is another problem VDTs can cause for many workers, he said. People who use VDTs in their work often are subject to “monotonous and repetitive tasks, machine pacing of work, lack of participation in decision-making (and) physical confinement to the workstation,” Hecker said. Those things "correspond very closely to common causes of job-related stress," he said. Group’s ads to fight drunk drivers EUGENE (AP) — The Oregon Medical Association plans to place advertisements in eight of the state’s newspapers as part of its campaign against drunk drivers. The OMA says driving under the influence of alcohol has reached epidemic proportions in the state. The organization's House of Delegates approved the adver tising campaign at its meeting here Sunday. The advertisements, to be published May 1, urge immediate suspension of licenses for people who drive while drunk or refuse breath tests. The ads also support limiting diversion pro grams to first-time offenders. Madatory penalties are urged for repeat offenders. The advertisements also push for increased efforts by the state and private sector toward enforcement of traffic-safety laws, along with more education about tho nature of the health problem. The campaign was launched after an OMA study showed drunken driving to be a far more serious threat to human lives than are other types of violent crimes. ... ' " ............. . ' .. ' 1 WHAT'S THE DEAL? The Burrito Meal Deal $1.99 __ J’irtP 1401 V.liard 290 E 13th TaCO« **"'■' (Near U ot O Dorms) (Corner 13th & High f (| IjJTacdrime I Atv/(J*tc a lacalitHe / hm** tsr\ly
