KU Libraries opens ‘Ad Astra: A Kansas Story Written in the Stars’ exhibition

LAWRENCE — In January 1986, after six failed launch attempts on Space Shuttle mission STS-61C, University of Kansas alumnus and NASA astronaut Steve Hawley decided drastic measures were in order. Joking that he was the problem, Hawley donned a Groucho Marx disguise — the glasses, the nose, the mustache — to fool the orbiter into finally letting the crew fly. 

The disguise worked: STS-61C launched Jan. 12, 1986. Hawley’s disguise and more space flight artifacts and items are now on display at Watson Library as part of an exhibit curated in partnership with the KU Reads Common Book program.  

“Ad Astra: A Kansas Story Written in the Stars,” in the Haricombe Gallery on the third floor of Watson Library, is free and open to the public during Watson’s regular hours throughout the fall semester. 

Hawley, KU professor emeritus of physics & astronomy, will visit the library during a celebratory opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10. He will deliver a keynote address at 6 p.m. and sign copies of his new book, “Eyes to the Stars: A Memoir for the Space Shuttle Generation,” following the talk. Copies will be available for purchase at the event.

“Ad Astra” is presented in conjunction with KU Reads: A Common Book Experience’s 2026-27 selection, “Orbital” by Samantha Harvey. The Booker Prize-winning novel follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they circle the Earth, reflecting on humanity, connection and the fragile beauty of their home planet. 

“‘Orbital’ offers glimpses into life aboard the International Space Station while exploring what it means to be human and our relationship with our home planet,” said KU Common Book Librarian Samantha Greeson. “The ‘Ad Astra’ exhibit extends this exploration by highlighting Kansas’ contributions to space exploration and featuring artifacts that illuminate the distinctly human experience of space travel.” 

The exhibit features artifacts on loan from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center alongside documents and photographs from the Dole Institute of Politics and Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Together, the collections trace a through line from KU alumnus Clyde Tombaugh’s 1930 discovery of Pluto to the construction of the International Space Station — with Kansas at the center of the story at nearly every turn.  

Hawley and KU alumni astronauts Ron Evans, Joe Engle and Loral O’Hara have flown on some of NASA’s most storied missions, and Laura Stiles ventured to space with Blue Origin. Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and U.S. Rep. Larry Winn Jr., both Kansans, served on committees overseeing the space program and championed space exploration across decades of public service. Former Gov. Robert Docking once weighed the possibility of Kansas becoming the launch and landing site for the space shuttle. 

Beyond the Groucho glasses, the artifacts range from astronaut food and hygiene items to a personal radiation dosimeter, offering a look at the human reality of life in orbit.