Global solutions of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with large discontinuous initial data

We prove the global existence of weak solutions to the Navier-Stokes equati ons for compressible, heat-conducting flow in one spare dimension with larg e, discontinuous initial data, and we obtain a-priori estimates for these s olutions which are independent of time, sufficient to determine their asymp totic behavior. In particular, we show that, as time goes to infinity, the solution tends to a constant state determined by the initial mass and the i nitial energy, and that the magnitudes of singularities in the solution dec ay to zero.