TMS TIMES
Wednesday, October 18, 1989

Volume 1 .... Number 14

SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE KILLS 200
.... 7.0 on the Richter scale ....

     The largest earthquake to hit San Francisco in 83 years
killed at least 200 people, many trapped between collapsed
freeways.
     Although epicenter of the earthquake hit Santa Cruz at
5:04 PM, Pacific Time (8:04 PM Eastern), San Francisco
suffered the bulk of the damage.
     A section of the Bay Bridge, which connects Oakland and
San Francisco across the San Francisco Bay, collapsed,
possible killing several people.
     Route 880, on the Oakland side of the bridge,
collapsed, killing at least 200 people and trapping many
more. Rescuers are still trying to free the trapped
commuters.
     Several fires caused by broken gas mains on the San
Francisco side of the bay were raging out of control last
night, and their current state is unknown.

SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH TO GO AS PLANNED
by Joy Katesdatter, Staff Writer

     The space shuttle Atlantis will be launched today from
Cape Canaveral at 12:50 PM, Eastern Standard Time, if the
weather is good.  According to radio reports, there is a 60%
chance that the weather will be favorable for the launch.
     The Edwards Air Force Base in California was affected
by the earthquake.  According to the NASA Press Information
Bureau, there was "some damage to the structure of the
building where the controls are kept, but Air Force
officials have indicated that they were not adversely
affected, so the lauch is on schedule."
     According to the launching department at NASA, the
probe Galileo, to bo launched from the space shuttle, once
it is in orbit, is powered by 2,400 pounds of propellant.
The nature of the fuel was not known, but the standard fuel
mix is nitrogen tetroxide and hydrozine.

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