Nation briefs 1/20/03

Astronauts set small fires aboard shuttle Columbia

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Columbia's astronauts set small fires inside their orbiting laboratory Sunday in a scientific study of soot.

The flames were contained in a chamber inside an even bigger chamber, and there was no danger of fire breaking out.

Astronauts Kalpana Chawla, an American who was born in India, and Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space, used a hot wire igniter and jet burner to produce flames up to 2 inches long. They collected some of the soot for analysis back on earth.

Scientists want to better understand the production of soot, a pollutant that can lead to lung disease. They turned to space in order to eliminate the rising of hot air -- the so-called buoyancy effect -- and to slow the reactions inside flames for easier study.

Kmart promotes company president to CEO

DETROIT -- The board of Kmart Corp. named a new chief executive Sunday to replace James B. Adamson, the company director named last year to shepherd the retailer's bankruptcy reorganization.

Kmart president Julian C. Day will assume the top job, while Adamson will remain as non-executive chairman through the final months of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Kmart said in a statement. Day will retain his duties as president.

His appointment comes as the retailer begins to shuffle its management ahead of its expected exit from Chapter 11 by April 30. Adamson and Day were not available for interviews Sunday, the company said.

Outdoor superstore gets millions in taxpayer funds

HAMBURG, Pa. -- An outdoor superstore featuring a 30-foot indoor mountain replica, a 55,000-gallon walkthrough aquarium and a shooting gallery is getting $27 million in taxpayer funds for its building costs.

The $59 million Cabela's Inc. store, scheduled to open this fall, has the potential to anchor a tourist destination similar to the theme park built by Hershey Foods Corp., according to state officials.

The state expects the store to attract 6 million visitors a year, the same number generated by a Cabela's in Dundee, Mich., and to spur other development in a region hit by factory closings and a declining coal industry.

Area residents say they welcome the 225,000-square-foot store and the 600 jobs it will bring. As many as half of the jobs are expected to be part-time.

Six hurt when plane hits jetway at terminal

NEW YORK -- An airplane struck a passenger jetway at LaGuardia Airport, injuring six airport workers Sunday, authorities said.

The Northwest Airlines Airbus A319 was being moved from a parking area to a gate when it hit the jetway, causing the plane's landing gear to collapse, according to airline spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch.

There were no passengers on the plane or the jetway, the accordian-like tunnel used to connect planes to terminal gates.

A customer service agent on the jetway, three ground employees guiding the aircraft and two mechanics suffered minor injuries, Ebenhoch said. Five were released from a hospital after treatment.

Two sisters safe after night lost in frigid woods

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Two young sisters were found safe Sunday after spending 18 hours lost in the woods, huddling together in near-freezing weather after they wandered away from their family's vacation camp site.

Elizabeth Murrell, 12, and 9-year-old sister Amanda said they found some shelter in a hollowed-out tree, and suffered few problems other than numb hands and feet.

"Basically, we just bundled up together in our jackets," Elizabeth told reporters after the girls were returned to the Tropical Palms Resort near Walt Disney World.

"I had frost on my jacket early in the morning," Elizabeth said. Amanda "could barely stand up, she was so cold."

The girls were reported missing Saturday night after they left their parents, John and Teresa Murrell of Savannah, Ga., and four siblings to explore before dinner, Osceola County sheriff's deputies said.

-- From wire reports