Published: Monday, July 2, 2007
Shuttle heads to Florida
Shuttle heads to Florida
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — A jumbo jet carrying the space shuttle Atlantis took off Sunday on a return trip to the shuttle's launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A modified Boeing 747 with the shuttle mounted on its back left from the Mojave Desert air base at 9:05 a.m. EDT, said Alan Brown, a spokesman at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.
The jet made a planned stop at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Neb., Sunday afternoon for refueling and to check the connection between it and the shuttle, NASA spokeswoman Jennifer Tharpe said. NASA officials were monitoring the weather in Nebraska and in Florida and was not to take off until this morning at the earliest, NASA spokeswoman Jennifer Tharpe said.
Atlantis could still make it to Cape Canaveral today, Tharpe said. Managers will decide how to proceed at a 6 a.m. meeting.
Bus crash kills 24 in Peru
LIMA, Peru — A passenger bus crashed into an oncoming truck in northern Peru on Sunday, killing 24 people.
The vehicles were traveling in opposite directions on a stretch of the Pan-American Highway before dawn when they collided.
Victor Ordinola, chief of Peru's highway police, said three children were among those killed.
Police officer Percy Huaranca said the cause of the crash was under investigation. The drivers of both vehicles were killed, he said.
Bus crashes are common in Peru's Andes and jungle, claiming hundreds of lives every year due to narrow and rocky roads, reckless drivers and poorly maintained vehicles. Sunday's crash, however, took place on a paved highway near the country's northern coast.
Britain bans smoking
LONDON — Smoking was banned Sunday in all public buildings in England, including pubs, movie theaters, shopping malls — and even Buckingham Palace.
England was the final part of the United Kingdom to broadly prohibit smoking, with Wales and Northern Ireland instituting such a ban in April and Scotland last year. The Republic of Ireland made the move three years ago.
"Only by tackling the causes of illnesses will we be able to improve health inequalities and save lives," said newly appointed Health Secretary Alan Johnson. "A smoke-free country will improve the health of thousands of people, reduce the temptation to smoke and encourage smokers to quit."
International travelers were warned as their flights landed of the new rules in effect and of the $100 penalty for violations. The message was repeated on trains, on posters and in TV ads.
The decision to ban smoking was widely supported, but has also elicited vociferous objections from many who say the government has gone too far.
'On the Road' marathon
BOULDER, Colo. — Admirers of author Jack Kerouac celebrated the 50th anniversary of "On the Road" with a marathon reading of the novel. Fans and some close friends of the late author took turns reading his most famous novel aloud at Naropa University in Boulder on Saturday.
About 150 people listened to the cover-to-cover reading, which took 12 hours and kicked off the university's inaugural Kerouac Festival.
One of the most popular books ever written by an American, "On the Road" tells the story of Kerouac and a friend he calls Dean Moriarity as they travel the country, including a visit to Denver that the city celebrates with a tour that traces his steps.
The stream-of-consciousness novel helped generate the Beat Generation.
Associated Press
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