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University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, Oct. 31, 1962
KU Graduate Reports On NASA Satellites
One grapefruit-sized satellite in orbit has sent more information back to earth than man could have ever hoped to obtain otherwise.
Manley Hood, technical assistant to the director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and KU graduate, yesterday summarized what has been learned in past years through NASA satellites.
Hood, a KU graduate, spoke to engineering and other interested students in Swarthout Recital Hall on "What We are Learning In Space."
HE SAID the Vanguard satellite, which was orbited in 1958 and is still functioning, has fed information back to earth that would never had been known otherwise.
"It was from this grapefruit-size satellite, for example," said Hood, "that we first learned the earth is actually pear shaped. We also found that the rotation of the earth is gradually slowing down over the centuries."
Sun probes, satellites which do not land on the sun but go very close to its surface, have shown scientists that sun storms and flares have an effect on the earth's atmosphere, he said.
HOOD EMPHASIZED that NASA projects concern not only the U.S. but also involve other nations.
"Canadian and British experiments are often sent into space by the NASA," said Hood. "Our Explorer 10 satellite was traced by tracking stations all over the world."
Gale, Trainees Plan Peace Corps Panel
Thomas Gale, assistant professor of history and Peace Corps director for the KU-Costa Rican project, and four Corps trainees will present a panel discussion at 7:30 tonight in the Kansas Union.
The panel is the third in a series of events for Peace Corps Week which began Sunday.
Traines who will participate in the discussion are Betty Gilmore, 22, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Michael Murphy, 21, of Peru, Ind.; David Shaffer, 41, of New Orleans, La., and Robert Tadlock, 22, of Denver, Colo.
Kansan Classified Ads Get Results!
Space probes thus far have reached 2.5 million miles from the earth.
"The realm of space knows no limits," he added.
PRACTICAL applications are already apparent to the average American, he said, through our Tiros satellites, which have given weathermen eyes to watch the world.
Hood said last year, because of Tiros, weathermen saw Hurricane Ester before it was detected by normal means and helped save lives and property.
"Telstar, the communications relay station, has of course made news in recent weeks," said Hood. "American Telephone and Telegraph paid NASDAQ three million dollars to put this station in space."
In the future NASA hopes to put a man on the moon with its Apollo project.
Hood ended his lecture by showing a slide depicting the first man on the moon in his space suit and helmet. The spaceman was the KU Jayhawk.
"Rapsodia Romina" will open the KU Concert Course tomorrow at 8 p.m. in Hoch Auditorium.
'Rapsodia Romina'
To Start Concerts
"Rapsodia Romina" features dancers and musicians in Romanian dress. The group played before a standingroom-only audience at the Seattle World's Fair this fall.
Tickets are available at the Murphy Hall box office, Bell Music Co. and the Union Ticket Center. Students are admitted by their I.D. cards.
Fraternity Jewelry
Badges, Rings, Novelties,
Sweatshirts. Mugs, Paddles,
Cups, Trephies, Medals
Balfour
411 W. 14th VI 3-1571
AL LAUTER
Bring it Back you Rascal you!
1962 Election Forum
Open discussion with these panel "experts":
Peter Aylward Chairman of Young Democrats
Reuben McCornack Chairman of Young Republicans
Dr. James Titus and Dr. Earl Nehring of the Political Science Dept.
Wednesday the 31st 7:30 p.m. Jayhawk Room in Union
SUA
CLASSICAL FILM SERIES
Presents
in
Marlon Brando
"The Wild One"
at
7:00 P.M. TONITE
Admission 60c at door or purchase season ticket for $2.50 (5 movies)
FORUM ROOM OF UNION
Bomb Shelter Taken
FORT WORTH, Tex. — (UPI) — Somebody swiped a 3,000-pound, 14-foot long bomb shelter from its spot at 6001 Mansfield highway in Fort Worth.
Milton Broyles said someone apparently winched the steel shelter onto a flatbed truck and made off with it late last week. The loss was not reported until yesterday.
Man Forgets Receipt
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — (UPI)—
A taxpayer left $968.88 in cash on the Hennepin County Treasurer's counter yesterday and walked away without a receipt.
"We don't know who he is or where to credit the money paid." George Totten, treasurer said. "Unless we find out who he is, he will likely get a notice later his taxes are delinquent."
On Campus with Max Shulman
[Author of “I Was a Teenage Dwarf”, “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”, etc.]
HIGH TEST, LOW TEST, NO TEST
Just the other night I was saying to the little woman, "Do you think the importance of tests in American colleges is being overemphasized?" (The little woman, incidentally, is not, as you might think, my wife. My wife is far from a little woman. She is, in fact, almost seven feet high and heavily muscled. She is a full-blooded Chiricahua Apache and holds the world's hammer-throw record. The little woman I referred to is someone we found crouching under the sofa when we moved into our apartment several years ago, and there she has remained ever since. She never speaks, except to make a kind of guttural clicking sound when she is hungry. Actually, she is not too much fun to have around, but with my wife away at track meets most of the time, at least it gives me somebody to talk to.)
But I digress. "Do you think the importance of tests in American colleges is being overemphasized?" I said the other night to the little woman, and then I said, "Yes, Max, I do think the importance of tests in American colleges is being overemphasized." (As I have explained, the little woman does not speak, so when we have conversations, I am forced to do both parts.)
To get back to tests—sure, they're important, but let's not allow them to get too important. There are, after all, many qualities and talents that simply can't be measured by quizzes. Is it right to penalize a gifted student whose gifts don't happen to be of the academic variety? Like, for instance, Gregor Sigafoos?
Gregor, a freshman at the New Hampshire College of Tanning and Belles Letters, has never passed a single test; yet all who know him agree that he is studded with talent like a ham with cloves. He can, for example, sleep standing up. He can do a perfect imitation of a scarlet tanger. (I don't mean just do the bird calls; I mean he can fly South in the winter.) He can pick up B-B's with his toes. He can say "Toy boat" three times fast. He can build a rude telephone out of two empty Marlboro packs and 100 yards of butcher's twine. (Of all his impressive accomplishments, this last is the one Gregor likes to do best—not building the telephone, but emptying the Marlboro packs. Gregor doesn't just dump the Marlboros out of the pack. He smokes them one at a time—settling back, getting comfortable, savoring each tasty puff. As Gregor often says with a winsome smile, "By George, the makers of Marlboro took their time finding this fine flavor, this great filter, and by George, I'm going to take my time enjoying 'em!")
Well, sir, there you have Gregor Sigfoos—artist, humanist, philosopher, Marlboro smoker, and freshman since 1939. Will the world—so desperately in need of talent—ever benefit from Gregor's great gifts? Alas, no. He is in college to stay.
But even more tragic for mankind is the case of Anna Livia Plurabelle. Anna Livia, a classmate of Gregor's, had no talent, no gifts, no brains, no personality. All she had was a knack for taking tests. She would cram like crazy before a test, always get a perfect score, and then promptly forget everything she had learned. Naturally, she graduated with highest honors and degrees by the dozen, but the sad fact is that she left college no more educated, no more prepared to cope with the world, than when she entered. Today, a broken woman, she crouches under my sofa.
© 1992 Max Sbulma
And speaking of tests, we makers of Marlboro put our cigarette through an impressive number before, we send it to the market. But ultimately, there is only one test that counts: Do YOU like it? We think you will.