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University Daily Kansan
Monday, Oct. 28, 1963
Astronauts To Have More Flight Control
CAPE CANAVERAL —(UPI)—On future U.S. manned flights into space, astronauts are going to have more control over their own destinies.
This intent has placed another heavy burden on the shoulders of engineers. Theirs is the task of now determining where human capabilities leave off and superhuman demands begin.
And still paramount is the utmost demand for safety that characterized the Mercury man-in-space program and the "follow-on" projects Gemini and man-to-the-moon Apollo. Strik ing a happy medium between the roles of men and machines on space flights is not proving easy.
U. S. ASTRONAUT Frank Borman, considered one of the best bets for an early flight aboard the two-man Gemini spaceships, offers a general rule-of-thumb for deciding what man can do and what he cannot be permitted to attend to on hazardous space journeys.
"... The pilot will have to be able to prove that he offers some unique capability that will help to insure mission success."
In other words, the astronaut is not to be given a task simply in order that he will have something to do. He first has to prove that, in some way, he offers an advantage over the machine.
Project Mercury, which sent six astronauts into space on missions of varying lengths, was an acid test. "As a result of the Mercury experience," said Borman, "the pilot in both the Gemini and Apollo missions will have a demanding role."
Borman cited a vivid example—the decision to let astronauts monitor the blast-off and powered flight and, if necessary, select a means of "aborting" a Gemini shot in an emergency. In project Mercury, most of this delicate task was handled from the ground.
GIVING THE astronauts more say-so in the matter, said Borman, was based on one simple fact: "The
pilot provided the most reliable, lightest method of selecting and initiating the proper one of Gemini's three different abort modes (methods)."
On the other hand, there have been suggestions that human pilots pre-empt automatic guidance systems and actually fly the entire rocket and space capsule into orbit. The idea was nixed, at least for Gemini.
Again, there was a simple engineering answer, Borman said. "In the Gemini, it was considered simpler and more reliable to mechanize autopilot guidance for the restrictive, down the groove, type guidance problem encountered."
The young astronaut cited the Apollo manned lunar landing mission as an example of a still more complex relationship between man and machine, especially in the area of "aborting" the flight in case something goes wrong.
"In examining the Apollo abort problems," Borman said, "we found that there were certain malfunctions which required superhuman reaction times to permit safe abort. The reaction times actually vary with the time of flight."
THE ANSWER in this case was to leave the decision to the pilot's own judgment—whether to trust his own reactions to the tricky task, or to turn them over to an automatic system. Equipment is being built into the Apollo space capsule for both contingencies.
Borman, for one, has no objection to leaving the blast-off and re-entry jobs in the hands of computers, guidance systems and other machines. The pilots will have plenty of time to prove their own unique value and importance along the rest of the space trip.
"Too often," he said, "undue emphasis is placed on the pilot's role during boost and re-entry. These phases of flight are transition phases for a true spacecraft.
WASHINGTON — (UPI) — The Supreme Court rejected today an appeal of the Mobile County (Ala.) school board from an order requiring a start on public school desegregation this fall.
Court Rejects Appeal To Block Integration
Earlier the board asked Justice Hugo L. Black to block the order pending appeal, on the ground that it would seriously disrupt the education of the county's 75,000 school children.
Black refused to do so on Aug. 16. He said the board has known for nine years that it was running its school system in an unconstitutional manner but has done nothing about it.
The Mobile decision was the first directed towards Alabama public schools below college level since the Supreme Court's famous school desegregation ruling of 1954.
Earlier Federal District Judge Daniel H. Thomas of Mobile had ruled that the county schools could delay their integration plan until the 1964-65 school year.
Reversing Thomas, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals first ordered a step-ladder plan this year starting with the first grade. Later it revised its order to base it on the state pupil placement law because another panel of the same court had issued such an order for Birmingham.
Two Negro students have now been admitted to high school classes in Mobile.
U.S. Wheat Sales To Remain Static
WASHINGTON —(UPI)—A government official cautioned businessmen today against expecting a large expansion of American markets in Russia because of the pending Soviet-U.S. wheat deal.
Eugene Braderman, chief of the Commerce Department's foreign trade bureau, said the Soviet demand for wheat was a special situation due to a poor harvest. Russia, he said, is normally a wheat exporter, and will try to resume this position.
KU Journalism Pioneer Named to Hall of Fame
The late Leon Nelson Flint, former head of the KU journalism department for 25 years, was named to the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame Saturday at Kansas Editors' Day here.
Flint was the 47th journalist selected for the Hall of Fame. He taught journalism here from 1906 until his retirement in 1947 and was department head from 1916 to 1941. Prof. Flint established a national reputation as an author of journalism textbooks and as a pioneer in journalism education.
FLINT HALL, the building housing the William Allen White School of Journalism and the University of Kansas Press was named in his honor in 1955.
Approximately 150 Kansas journalists attended the Editors' Day program which was highlighted by a review of a summer in Africa by Burton W. Marvin, dean of the School of Journalism, and John McCormally, editor of the Hutchinson News.
The roll of high schools in encouraging student interest in journalism as a career was discussed by other working newsmen, educators and editors.
Dean Marvin, McCormally and two other American newsmen conducted two-week seminars this summer at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dares Salaam, Tanganyika, and Lagos, Nigeria.
"THE AFRICAN journalist's worst fault is his almost complete preoccupation with politics," McCormally said. "This is understandable, however—Kansas newspapers in the 1870's were the same."
The speaker said the American newsmen attempted to convince their African counterparts to publish other news in addition to politics.
Concerning American journalism, John DeMott, professor of journalism, appealed to editors to show an interest in high school journalists in their towns.
Mel Adams, professor of journal- interest in high school journalists in teachers for failing to construct the right image of newspaper work, adding that they regard their jobs of teaching journalism as "only a sideline."
ADAMS recommended that editors provide summer jobs for promising high school journalism students as an encouragement.
Lee Porter, city editor of the Topeka State Journal, said members of his staff visit Topeka high schools each year to discuss newspaper work with students.
BOBBY THOMSON, WHOSE dramatic home run won the 1951 National League playoff for the New York Giants, was born in Scotland and raised in Staten Island, N.Y.
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ENTER NOW!! Contest Starts Tonight
★ Fraternities ★ Sororities ★ Organized Groups Come out Tonight and Cheer for your Entries.
Free Watermelon To all Spectators and Fans
RULES
Fun Awards
1. A student in good standing of any high school, college or university in the United States of America.
2. There may be up to three representatives from any recognized home—room, dormitory, sorority, fraternity, club, etc.
3. Official competition must be held on the parking area of a drive-in restaurant.
4. All students must not exceed 10 miles per hour.
5. Official competition hours and dates must be approved by the manager of the drive-in restaurant.
6. Distance will be measured from point of rest to the center of spitting line. Court width is 15 feet.
7. Contestants feet must remain behind the spitting line until seed comes to rest.
8. Eaten contestant will be allowed three seeds. These may be split one at a time or all at once.
9. Sweatless contestant rest in seeds and not have come in contact with any object or person from delivery until it is officially measured.
10. Carnals for the record must be signed by the contestant, the drive-in manager or owner and the official.
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