Spending six days aboard the space shuttle Discovery was like “a not very sophisticated camping trip,” astronaut Steve Hawley told a crowd at the Kansas Union. Hawley, speaking in Kansas for the first time since his shuttle trip in August, discussed the accomplishments of the mission and the delicate adjustments necessary for living in space. Discovery’s flight in late August and early September was the first to deploy three commercial satellites in one mission and the first to carry a commercial payload specialist.

Wholesale prices, off for a third straight month, fell a modest 0.2 percent in October. It was the first time in 17 years that prices had been down for three months running.

U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., was lining up votes to become the next Senate majority leader, succeeding the retiring Sen. Howard Baker, R-Tenn. Dole said he had “a good chance to win it.”

The school board and teachers continued to negotiate the terms for a new contract.