30 Years of USU in Space: In October 1976, then USU faculty member, R. Gilbert Moore attended a conference where NASA administrators announced the development of a new opportunity for space research aboard the newly-designed space shuttle. Moore was so enthused with the educational possibilities of the program that he stood up in the middle of the presenter’s speech and wrote a check for the first Get Away Special (GAS) payload reservation. He donated it to Utah State University, and the GAS program was born. Through the program, Utah State has sent 11 payloads into space. Since the first GAS payload, members of the team have also participated in other microgravity research projects involving NASA’s “Vomit Comet” and the International Space Station. For more information on the Get Away Special: http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gas_educ/13/