Viking I photographs Mars; search for life begins
Viking I sent this 300 degree panoramic view yesterday morning just after touchdown on the surface of Mars. Objects in the foreground are parts of the spacecraft. At left are shown on the center horizon, Patches of bright sand, rocks and boulders are in the middle distance. Projections on the right horizon represent rims of impact craters. A wide range of hills can be seen behind Viking's antenna. The photo's quality has been enhanced by computer.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Wednesday, July 21, 1976
KANSAN
The University of Kansas—Lawrence. Kansas
Vol.86 No.166
EDITOR'S NOTE: Last week a Kansan article examined problems KU's Lebanese students have in communicating with their families. In some cases, several months had elapsed since students had had contact with home. Along with anxiety, the isolation has another ramification, the focus of today's story.
By ALEXIS WAGNER
Staff Writer
Lack of communication to and from Lebanon has thrust University of Kansas students from the war-torn country into a new era of learning.
Two Lebanese students, John Smiley and Ghassan Ghandour, said yesterday that the war had isolated Lebanese students from their supply of money and that they were not aware of the need designed to keep them from supporting themselves.
Smiley said the majority of Lebanese students came to the United States with a limited amount of money expecting to be able to receive funds from their families as needed. He said those cut off from families and financial resources must support themselves; outside jobs, jobs within the university, loans or money from the Lebanese embassy.
BUT, SMITLEY said, foreign students ordinarily aren't allowed to work because they came to the United States with the understanding that they had enough money to support themselves.
"Even if the immigration services give us work permits, we can work only so many hours, Smiley said. "The work may cover room and board, but what about tuition, books and clothes?"
Work permit regulations restrict foreign students to 20 hours of work a week. In addition, the rules state, students must be in good standing.
Smiley said the immigration services were beginning to recognize the needs of the Lebanese students and work permits for the summer had been issued to students who showed they were in need.
SOME OF THE Lebanese students may be able to get jobs or loans from the University, but Smiley said as far as he knew no Lebanese student had yet asked the University for aid.
"We're still hopeful that something will happen back home so that normal channels of support are open again."
Jerry Rogers, director of financial aid, said that foreign students were not eligible to receive grants or loans from the school.
*Before coming to the United States, foreign students certify that they can support themselves and they are ready to attend college.*
- AP wirephoto courtesy of the Topeka Capital-Journal
ROGERS SAID that the only type of financial assistance a foreign student could get was a short-term loan through the University Endowment Association. The maximum amount to be given to a student through the Endowment Association is $400.
William Balfour, vice chancellor for student affairs, said that in some cases students with financial problems had been allowed to delay their fee payments but that the state didn't favor this.
Ghandou said that most of the Lebanese students would rather work than get loans.
"We will try to get jobs first. When we have exhausted all other opportunities, then we will go to University offered."
GHAUNDROU SAID that there was very little hope of getting money from the Lebanese embassy.
"The embassy doesn't have any funds for students even in peace time and now because of the war they can't get any education."
Another concern of the Lebanese students is that they don't know how their families have weathered the wars.
"We are all undergoing emotional strains. We cope with our situations as best we can, sometimes collectively, but mostly on an individual basis," Smiley said. "We are in a kind of recovery since for some of us, the war is very close to our homes."
"IT SEEMS that the Lebanese people have no more control. The different factions are being randomly supported by various countries. Somebody is going to have to face this war. It may have to be a super-power," Smiley said.
THE STUDENTS are also concerned about the labeling of the war as a "Christian versus Moslem" conflict.
Both Ghandour and Smiley agreed that the situation in Lebanon is a world crisis and should be taken seriously.
Smiley and Ghandour said they thought that the armed Palestinian presence in Lebanon had resulted in confrontation between Lebanese nationalists and Palestinians. Lebanese leftist parties, made up most of the Lebanese forces as they saw in the Lebanese situation "a material which they could implement their ideas," they said.
"Most of the Lebanese students at KU are not supporting any of the parties involved in the conflict," Smiley said. "We all hope that the situation will return to normal soon."
Ghandour and Smiley said that most of the Lebanese nationalists are Christians and that the coincidental situation had given rise to the "Christian versus Moslem" label.
By RICHARD SALTUS AP Science Writer
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Ivking I made America's first Mars landing look easy, dropping down safely yesterday on a boulder-strewn plain and sending back stumbling sharp pictures of a landscape resembling the Southwestern desert.
The robot laboratory that will continue a search for Martian life absolutely intact after settling to the plain among the rocks, where they have been large enough to wreck the lander.
It was the first successful soft touchdown on Mars in history. The trouble-free landing and the startling photographic detail of light and dark rocks, sand dunes and a stark horizon left scientists trembling with emotion.
"There are tears in my eyes, my heart is beating fast . . . It's mind-boggling." Neel Hinners, associate administrator of the nation's space agency, said.
By coincidence, it was the seventh anniversary of another space milestone—the first manned mission to orbit Earth.
As television monitors at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory reproduced, one line at a time, Viking's first panoramic picture of the landscape, imaging team leader Jason Bacon, said in his podcast, "goeth, just love! You can almost imagine yourself walking right out there!"
The pictures traveled 213 million miles and—even at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second—took 19 minutes to reach earth.
The pictures showed a low-lying plain called Chryse, which at one time may have given channels in the palm of its winding humpain plain, and Mutch said it was quite "reminiscent of some desert areas on the coast" or peculiarly the Southwestern United States.
But in eight days, a telescope arm is to reach out and grab a claw full of Martian soil to be deposited in three life-detecting experiments aboard the 1.300-foot lander
On Mars, the squat three-legged craft weighs about 450 pounds because the crust is so thin.
if any tiny organisms are living in the
sea the experiments are believed capable of
fruit.
Carl Sagan of Cornell University, one of the best-known advocates of searching for extra-terrestrial life, called the terrain a "neat surface."
"It's just tremendously exciting, especially after a series of Soviet failures," said Sagan, a member of the lander photography team. "Mars is a very tough place to land. I suspect Mars will be sufficiently interested in to hold our interest."
The Soviets have landed two spacecraft on Mars but both ceased functioning shortly after their launch.
The crucial last leg of its journey began early yesterday morning when it parted company with the mother ship that had landed it into orbit around Mars a month ago.
A computer aboard the lander guided it through the complicated descent sequence. As it entered the Martian atmosphere, it was traveling about 10,000 miles an hour, and its rocket boosters showed to a mere 5.5 m.p.h, as it dropped to the surface at 4:53 p.m. P.D.T.
Viking, the first of two unmanned American spacecraft scheduled for Mars landings this summer, blasted off on the historic mission 11 months ago.
When signals reached earth 19 minutes later, a flight commentator cried. "We have to make sure our airplanes fly."
Officials and mission controllers whooped, cheered and hugged each other, with the warmest applause reserved for them. A contact manager with a misty look in his eyes.
"I just want to say this is the happiest time of my life," he declared. He praised the thousands of persons involved in the eight-year project and noted with a touch of irony, "Some of these people probably don't know anymore—they probably got laid off."
City OKs plastics plant bond sale
President Ford called to offer his congratulations to Martin and NASA Ad
The Chryse landing site was the third target for Viking. Two others, including the original one on another part of the Chryse ship, were hit by a sword-shaped secession they appeared dangerously rough.
Before the landing, the orbiting Viking command ship had taken photos that suggested the final site might be covered with mineral swept from highland plateaus and ice sheets. So scientists said, the lander might find exotic minerals like gold and platinum there.
Inorganic analysis instruments on the under will be used to determine the composition.
Workmen laid corrugated pipe yesterday as construction continued on the new Spencer Richard Alexander helped connect the pipeline, which will be used to carry electrical lines.
Staff photo by JAY KOELZER
Connecting the pipe
The panoramic landscape picture showed dark shadows cast by the inkier and boulders in the late afternoon sun. It was covered with sand and mud, touched down the. The shadows accentuated the scattering of boulders and made the dark ones appear almost like clumps of sand.
Parts of the squatter's superstructure could be clearly seen in the foreground of the panorama. All the equipment looked undamaged, and a meteorology boom for Martian weather appeared to have properly swung into an upright position.
city code regarding licensing of solicitors.
The revised code deletes several requirements which are unconstitutional in many jurisdictions, and is required of all solicitors and peddlers.
By COURTNEY THOMPSON
The commission also received bids for proposed street improvements and purchase of new office equipment for the police headquarters of the judicial building.
Business was light at the Lawrence City Commission meeting last night.
Approval was given to the proposed letter of intent to issue $80,000 in industrial fabrication materials for Plastics plant. City Manager Buford Watson said that the city owned this property until the bonds were paid off. The company will be responsible for 10 years while bonds are being retired.
Watson said he thought Packer Plastics could improve Lawrence employment statistics.
"I THINK we must take a serious look at local industries that want to expand—especially those that are good sources of food and drink, which are clean industrial" he said.
Commissioner Barkley Clark said that revenue bonds are a business subsidy paid for by the federal government and that a bond is used to their exemption from income tax payment.
The commission voted to allow a 15-cent increase per trip in taxi fare. This increase will yield about a 13 per cent increase in rates.
Ward Thompson, owner of the Lawrence Yellow Cable and Union Cab Companies, said that buses which provide regular transportation for the elderly were a major source of competition for him. He said this year he would seek a reason for his requests for fare increases.
APPROVAL WAS also give to revise the
KU prof critic of secrecy policy
By SUSAN LYNN
Staff Writer
Ronald R. McCoy, professor of history, last month was invited by the U.S. Commission on Records and Documents to voice his opposition to what he feels are unnecessary and unconformal restrictions on access to government documents.
A University of Kansas professor was a recent guest critic of the United States government.
Mccoy said yesterday he was invited because of his work on a book about the history of ancient Egypt.
Mccoy said that more than 10,000 government employees were hired solely to work with the company.
"We dealt with the problem of the government having too many documents being classified when there really wasn't enough data," he said to have the material locked up," he said.
"THE ARCHIVES contain only two per cent of all government records. They are interested in the complexities of classifying records," McCoy said yesterday.
transcribe classified government records
to preamble records open to the public.
New vegetarian cafe is collective
By GREGG HEJNA
The cafe, which will offer a totally vegetarian menu, won't follow the traditional concept of owners, managers and hired help but will be run by a collective, a group of 15 to 20 people, Valeire Kelly, a member of the collected said yesterday.
A new concept in restaurant management will begin in Lawrence with the opening of the Sister Kettle Cafe, 14th and Massachusetts late next month.
Those who work more than 30 hours a week, will become part of the steering wheel crew.
Plans for the cafe started off on a much smaller scale as the original concept was to only serve lunches at the United Ministries in Higher Education building, Kelly said. The café was able to get things around with the mini-fit last March at the United Ministries.
"When we found out that this building was
available, we decided to enlarge the idea to restaurant, "Kelly said," "The whole thing
Their non-traditional approach extends into the other areas of the restaurant.
“During the first month we won't pay any salaries, all the work will be on a volunteer basis. We'll just take care of the salaries for the first month. Up to then, we'll just be making tips,” Kelly said. “Most of the people will be counting on something else to support themselves for a salary.”
The cafe's planned hours are also unusual. Sister Kettle will be open from 7 to 10am.
"We don't have air conditioning so we'll be closed for the hottest part of the day," Kirsten said.
During the evenings, the kitchen will close down and the cafe will be a coffeehouse. Food and drinks will be available, books will be on hand, poetry reading and music are being made.
Glassed-in shelves along the walls will display works by local artists.
"Our ties to the co-op are both political and emotional. We'll be ordering our food through them, but there is no real connection," Kelly said.
"We'll be serving vegetarian food, including eggs and cheese, but we'll have meals without them to show people that you are not only vegan but also educational as well as serve good food."
"We are trying very hard. People here are learning to work together and how to keep lines of communication open," she said. "We're very enthusiastic. This could develop into anything. It's just sort of being born right now."
Although there is no official connection with the Community Mercantile food cooperative and Sister Kettle, there are ties between them. The Mercantile is a nonprofit store run by volunteer workers.
The real problem begins when the documents are declassified because each document must be declassified individually, he said.
"THIS is a cumbersome and expensive process," he said. "The agencies are super-sensitive about their information, much of which is harmless."
McCoy proposed that federal records used for government, scholarly, and journalistic research purposes be regularized by imposing acceptable time restrictions on them.
"Of course it would depend on what types of information we were dealing with," he said.
"AS AMERICAN citizens who are involved in all types of professions, a great deal of material that we have a right to see is kept from us," McCoy said. "Much of the time the information is kept secret because it might be a public embarrassment, not because it has to do with national security reasons. This has outraged me."
To keep the information classified is expensive because special security systems and guards are required to keep the documents secret. A long process is required to see confidential information, he said.
A lot of progress in declasifying information has occurred in the last six years, McCoy said, but another step forward is needed.
McCoy has taught history at KU since 1970. He is the author of nine books on recent events in American history.
He will teach American history in Ireland or a year beginning this fall under the supervision of the Irish Studies faculty.