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1 . . \ Looking for a job? ' .jsptsb. Opus on vacation Columbia's Chamber of Commerce has a new plan : 'ZfcOjS M^T~^ Bloom County creator Berke Breathed to expand both the city's business and employment If will be calling in sick the next few weeks The Gamecock Founded 1908 Wednesday Volume 78, No. 55 University of South Carolina January 29. 1986 Campus reacts to catastrophe Shuttle flights should continue, (JSC students, faculty agree By STEPHEN C. GUILFOYLE and PAULA WETHINGTON Staff writers The space shuttle program should continue despite Tuesday's Challenger tragedy, said USC students and faculty. ^ Student Pierre de Lucy said he thought the Challenger astronauts had it better than the Apollo 1 astronauts, who died in the cockpit of a rocket that caught on fire on the launching pad in 1967. "The shuttle's booster rocket has a very explosive liquid oxygen compound," he said. "They didn't have time to suffer." NASA should "continue to delay any other program until they find out what happened, but they ihmilH on nn " I h coi/-l Students were watching the launch in the TV area of the Russell House gameroom. Computer science freshman Kim Godbold said the games stopped as the students gathered around the set. When the crowd saw the explosion, they all exclaimed in surprise and then got quiet, Godbold said. "It was real quiet, too quiet." She said she thought the CBS coverage of the event was rather thorough. "They even had a model, and they showed the reactions of the family," Godbold said. "The family was cheering, and then they got real quiet. The teacher's mother was in tears; the father was just quiet." v Some of the people in the gameroom wondered fk aloud why the shuttle was sent up and how 1:1? .1-:- u i -? ovsiiiviiiiug mvt una wuuiu uuppcn, uoaooia saici. Rhonda Baskerville, a music education sophomore, also said the shuttle program should | continue, though she added that more care was required. Broadcast sophomore Bill Sengstacken said, "1 heard about it earlier, but I thought they were joking. I couldn't believe it until I turned on the TV." Another student who thought the explosion was a joke at first was journalism freshman Earle Crawford. ? "I thought it was awful that it happened to our space program," Crawford said. "There has been nothing serious except delays until now." He said NASA should continue the program and not dwell too much on it. rnn v^ook, a journalism student, said, "I don't think they should send anything (else) up until they find out what happened." USC faculty and staff also were dismayed at the shuttle news. Several people, such as Pam Young, an administrative assistant at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, heard the news on ? See "Campus," page 2 McNair was to join USC staff next fall By AMY DELPO and MARY JO MILLER Staff writers South Carolina native Ronald McNair, one of the seven astronauts who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger on Tuesday, was expected to join the USC staff in fall 1986, according to university officials. "This was to be his last flight," Provost Francis Borkowski said. "We discussed the possibility of 1 employment with him, and he was to come aboard next fall." Borkowski added that Nair's official capacity at USC was not yet determined. Born in Lake City, McNair, 36, was one of two black South Carolinians selected for the space shuttle program, the other being Charles Bolden of Columbia. "It was a personal loss to me," Lt. Gov. Mike Daniel said. "It was more than just a loss to NASA, it was a loss to the world. __ McNair earned a bachelor's degree in physics ^ from North Carolina A&T University and a dociin r\h%rc?/?c -* * - * - *' iwimv. iioiii iviaStSaCflUSeilS insuiuic OI Technology. In 1984, USC presented him with an honorary doctor of science degree. In April 1984, Gov. Dick Riley presented McNair with the Order of the Palmetto, the highest award the S.C. governor can bestow. "Ron received many awards in his lifetime. I thank God that we honored him while he was still alive," said Alex Harvin, S.C. House majority leader. McNair, his wife, Cheryl, and their two children, Reginald, 3, and Joy, 1, lived in Houston. McNair joined the space program in 1978 and Bfc flew his first mission on Feb. 3, 1984. His second ^ mission was in November 1985. Tuesday's was to be his third and last mission. Tragedy The space shuttle Challenger bursl in the worst disaster in NASA's his Government By LYNN CUSICK and MARY JO MILLER Staff writers Government leaders expressed shock and a sense of loss Tuesday upon hearing the news of the space shuttle explosion and the death of South Carolinian Ronald McNair. "It was one of the most devasting and tragic events that I have witnessed," Lt. Gov. Mike Daniel said. On the state level, the House of Representatives held a moment ol silence on oenauottne astronauts and unanimously passed a resolution to send their condolences to McNair's family in Lake City. The House then ad WEHp M gjgf mBR. Ronald McNair was awarded an he mencement exercises in 1984 i|pw?sii ppr Mi ifi ' :s into flames shortly after takeoff Tut ttory. South Carolinian Robert McNaii InnrlnKO mm icauci o imul journed to honor the memory of astronauts on the space shuttle Challenger. "Ron McNair was more than just an excellent role model for all young people in South Carolina," Gov. Dick Riley said in a written statement. "He was also an outstanding example of the brilliant potential that rests in the minds of our people. His loss, and the loss of the rpsf nf fhp shuttle crew, will be a great tragedy for all of us. S.C. House Majority leader Rep. Alex Harvin III expressed a deep sense of personal loss over McNair's death. Harvin, whose district is close to Lake City, was with McNair's Sf: X1 8b&PBb&. l VI BBsaB tafeiBBMBy RAY GRO inorary Doctor of Scionce Degree at STEVE HELBER/Associated Press isday, killing all seven crew members ' was on board. irn deaths family in Florida for his first launch. "When 1 think of the pride that must have been in his mother's eyes when the shuttle lifted off, it really brings the tragedy home," he said. Harvin said he expected the State House flags to fly at half?staff today in memory of Harvin and the rest of the shuttle's crew. On Capitol Hill, the House chaplain asked for a silent prayer, and the Senate, which was not supposed to be in session today, held an afternoon prayer session. Congress also sent its condolences to the astronauts' families and adjourned early. I By JIM NEWMAN and STEPHEN C. I Staff writers The space shi exploded Tuesda 72 seconds after None of th members surviv ficials said. Astronaut Ron of Lake City, c veteran of two missions. Also on boai McAuliffe, 37, teacher from C who was select teacher and civili Other membei sion commander 46; mission pilot 40; and missions HOnizuka, 39; Ju and Gregory Jar The shuttle la a.m. Tuesday in to be a flawless li 56th space missi mark, the Challe and exploded. This is the wo tragedy in NAS, died in a fire w NBERG/Tha Gamecock launch pad aboai One of the CI summer com- fuel stacks was from the spacecr JK Journalists a?:ii J? aun uesne shuttle trip BY CARL DAWSON Assistant news editor Journalists vying to be the first reporter in space expressed sorrow and encouragement to the Journalist-in-Space project's main office at USC Tuesday after the first civilian in space died in an explosion that destroyed the space shuttle Challenger. "We've gotten calls from four applicants, and they all said pretty much the same thing," said Jack Bass, the project's public relations coordinator. "They expressed that they were saddened, that they wanted their names to remain in the applicant pool, and that they hoped the project would keep going forward," Bass said. oass would not comment on how Tuesday's tragedy would affect the selection process or the project's schedule. Nor would he release the names of the four applicants who called. Bass referred most questions to NASA and declined further comment, but released a twosentence statement from the president of the organization which oversees the project's selection process. The statement from Robert Hoskins, president of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, read, "At this point we are referring all calls to NASA. Our hearts go out to the families of the crew members aboard the flight." A total of 1,703 journalists have applied to be the first in space, including former CBS anchor Walter Cionkite and ABC correspondent Geraldo Rivera. Sixteen South Carolinians applied for the flight, which was scheduled for the fall. NASA's Space Flight Participation Project is designed to give private citizens a chance to ex perience space travel. The Journalist-in-Space program is to be the second phase of the project. The first participant was New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died in Tuesday's explosion. Applications for the journalist project have been sorted and sent to five geographic regions, where they will be narrowed to eight nominees from each region. The 40 nominees will then meet in Washington the first week in April, where they will be interviewed by a 14-member national selection panel that will select five finalists. The finalists will be evaluated by a NASA committee that will judge the applicants on such factors as compatibility with the flight crew and aptitude for training to prepare for space flight. The names of the primary and back-up canSee "Journalists," page 2 snger explodes; n members die plosion, possibly sheared away 3UILF0YLE by the force of the detonation. Jesse Moore, NASA associate lttle Challenger administrator, said everything f morning about appeared normal before the liftoff. launch, and the weather was e seven crew good. ud, NASA of- The detonation took nlace around the external fuel tank, aid McNair, 35, NBC news reported. lied. He was a Recovery forces reported that previous shuttle debris continued to fall from the sky for 45 minutes after the d was Christa explosion. the high school The search crews have spotted Concord, N.H., debris from the shuttle. NASA 2d as the first officials say pieces are five to ten an in space. feet long and two feet across. The s included mis- debris will be recovered and put Francis Scobee, in a hangar at the nearby Patrick Michael Smith, Air Force Base. pecialists Ellison USC graduate astronomy indith Resnik, 36 structor Ben Malphrus, watching vis, 41. at the time of explosion, said his unched at 11:38 main concern was that it will set what appeared the space program back. He said ft off in NASA's hp thinWc thrf? infirtpnt chr\nM nni on. At the 1:12 be a detriment to the program, nger caught fire Malphrus did say NASA will probably be more careful from rst space-related now on and that NASA may Vs history. On reduce the number of flights. :hree astronauts hile still on the President Reagan said all rd Apollo 1. public buildings will fly their lallenger's solid flags at half-staff for seven days, seen separating one for each member of the aft after the ex- Challenger crew.