THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
G. LOVE SERVES UP HIS SECRET RECIPE
He comes to town with his band Special Saucer tonight at Liberty Hall at 7:30 P.M.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008
CHIPS,DIP & THE BOWL
Affordable snack foods to spice up your Super Bowl extravaganza
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WWW.KANSAN.COM
CAMPUS
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 86
Couples share home and work
Marta and Byron Caminero-Santangelo have worked together in the English Department for seven years, but they're not the only husband and wife couple in the English department. The Caminero-Santangelos say working in the same department as your spouse can have its advantages.
FULL STORY PAGE 8A
》 LEGISLATION
Proposal seeks loosening of alcohol laws
Lawrence city staff members are looking into the possibility of allowing students to hike outside on Massachusetts Street.
FULL STORY PAGE 8A
KANSAS STATE 84, KANSAS 75
index
Classifieds...4A
Crossword...6A
Horoscopes...6A
Opinion...7A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...6A
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2008 The University Daily Kansan
MANHATTAN MELTDOWN
Hawks drop to 20-1 after disappointing performance against K-State
Senior center Sasha Kaun, sophomore forward Darrell Arthur and senior guard Russell Robinson wait on the bench while the final seconds tick off the clock. The Jayhawks suffered their first loss of the season by Kansas State, who shot 12-for-26 from behind the three-point line during the game Wednesday. This also signals the first time Kansas has lost to Kansas State at Bramlage in 25 years. Wildcat freshmen Jacob Pullen, Michael Beasley and Bill Walker scored a combined 67 points against the Jayhawks.
SPACE EXPLORATION
Students receive opportunity to study in zero gravity at NASA
BY JESSICA WICKS jwicks@kansan.com
jwicks@kansan.com
Laura Stiles sat back in her chair with a distance in her eyes and a wide grin. She pulled her coffee cup up to hide it.
She was imagining a meteor shower from her childhood stargazing; her father's passion and her inspiration.
Stiles, Prairie Village senior, wants to be an astronaut. She wants to walk on the moon and be freed from the gravity of the Earth. She came close last year when she took part in a NASA program.
An engineering student at KU, Stiles said she was afraid that opportunity was waning
all across the nation.
According to the aerospace engineering chair, Mark Ewing, nearly half of the students in aerospace engineering have an interest in the space program.
That program has only one professor.
That professor, Craig McLaughlin, has been allowed only one graduate student position to help him with research. McLaughlin was unavailable for comment on this story, but Ewing said McLaughlin has the daunting task of proving economically valuable research. The problem is that no one is asking for student astronauts.
"We could double our student interest and we wouldn't get a single new professor," Ewing said, "it is all about the research income."
*Students float in a zero-gravity room as part of the prestigious NASA Reduced Gravity Student Opportunities Program. KU is sending three teams to the program this summer, the largest school attendance there this year.*
ask your candidate
Clinton said Sputnik inspired her as a child. She said in a Sputnik anniversary speech she wanted to see new bounds reached in space exploration that compare to those in the Eisenhower era. She said this will help children learn math and science. She has no intention of delaying the Constellation Program. She wants to see America maintain its leadership in space exploration.
Obama: CIT IT
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Clinton: FUND IT
1 2 3
Obama wants to delay missions to the moon and Mars to focus on building unmanned missions. He intends to use the money saved to fund other education based initiali-
McCain: KEEP IT
Romney said he was not willing to make a decision on where he stands with a detailed investigation. He said in a speech at the Kennedy Space Center last week that he intended to support a vision and maintenance plan for the future, but did not detail a specificance on manned missions.
McCain plans to continue along president Bush's plan to send people to the moon. He said on his campaign Web site that he was a strong supporter of NASA. McCain is quoted on his campaign Web site saying "Let us now embark upon this great journey into the stars to find whatever may await us"
**Romney:** MAINT. FOR IT
The United States, in general, shows a national disinterest in human space exploration. Projects like the International Space Station, Mars Exploration and the Constellation Program, designed to send people to the moon, are being put on the back burner and replaced with robots instead.
Stiles said that the United States had not sent a man back to the moon since 1972 and if they can't educate kids well enough now, no one will return in the future.
"It will be a long time before robots can ou
what humans can." Stiles said.
Ewing said the reason was simple: money. It is much less expensive to put an electronic arm into space than a person. You have to be meticulous in how you design a spacecraft carrying precious cargo.
"You can lose a robot and it won't be a major deal," Ewing said. "If you lose a crew, it is a national tragedy."
Ewing said that leaders have to think about the benefit to the nation. How do we get the most bang for our buck?
Ewing said that programs like GPS and military satellites took precedence.
"Could we learn about the universe through robots?" Ewang asked. "I think so."
Ewing said if he had the opportunity to go up, he would in a heartbeat.
"Do people need to be inspired by the possibility of going into space?" Ewing asked.
"That is a tough decision. That's a voter decision," he said, "but I don't think it will get to the voters."
Stiles fears that if the national space program is cut it will not only affect space missions, but general interest in science and math fields as well.
Stiles said her father's generation grew up inspired by the space shuttle era and passed it on to their kids. She said if this generation didn't get the same opportunities, they would have nothing to pass on.
Stiles said if KU could find a professor who can provide students with real opportunities, he was most likely to go a university that has a strong program already built, like
Recognizing this, Ewing said the department was doing its best to pair with programs like the Air Force Academy's.
the Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The students at the Air Force Academy design, build and test satellites. They are backed up by strong military funding, Ewing said. KU students can attach their projects to their satellites for their research.
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SEE SPACE ON PAGE 3A
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