Conference 7.286::space

    	When John Glenn ran for President in 1984 (and lost,
    unfortunately), he said that he supported the U.S. Space Program
    and would increase NASA's budget.
    
    	Considering that the man was once an astronaut (the Boy Scout
    of the Original Seven, one could say), and has been in politics
    since 1964 - he left the astronaut corps when he injured his ear
    from a fall in his home's bathroom - I would say that having Glenn
    in such a high position in the government is a very good thing for
    our space program.
                                                                      
    	Larry
    

    This topic is apparently for naught.  I heard on NPR this morning
    that sources in the Dukakis Campaign say that Sen. Lloyd Betson
    of Texax will be the Vice-Presidential nominee.  
    
    Does anyone know how he stands on space?
    
    Dukakis has many times stated his objections to the National AeroSpace
    Plane (NASP).  This one issue alone is almost enough for me to vote 
    for the other guy (if only he weren't George Bush!!).
        
    Tony

    	Still, John Glenn is a senator, and he does have some clout
    in Washington, so his support of the space program is not for naught.
    
    	Larry
    

    Depending on the person, the VP could be a very powerful spokesman
    for space exploration.  Witness Lyndon Johnson.  A nice touch for
    the Duke (if elected) would be to put Glenn in some kind of role
    where he could lobby/push/etc for the program.
    
    Of course, it would help if the public were interested.  Given no
    space race with the Soviets (at least in the minds of the public)
    and the low scientific aptitude of the public in general, I don't
    hold out much hope.  People just don't seem to care nor understand
    in this country.  The next president will be under more pressure
    to deal with the drug problem, schools (an indirect benefit) and
    financial security than to cooperate with or beat the Soviets (and
    other space faring nations) in space.  These, especially the first
    two, very important but I think we can have a 1st rate space program
    too, especially if we are in cooperation with the Soviet Union,
    ESA and Japan.
    
    Oh well.
    
    							Mike

    	Though the point is rather moot now, I thought it might be
    interesting to see what TIME magazine had to say on John Glenn as
    one of Dukakis' Vice Presidential picks.  The following comes from
    page 25 of the July 18 issue of TIME, the same issue with the "Onward 
    to Mars" cover story:
    
    	"Ohio Senator John Glenn, the early favorite, has not held up
    well under scrutiny.  With an uninspiring Senate record, $2.4 million
    in unpaid 1984 campaign debts and less charisma than Dukakis, his
    appeal to the risk-averse Dukakis may be simply that the bland
    ex-astronaut could not hurt him, and he could help him win Ohio."
    
    	There were also pictures of the eight then-possible VPs, with
    Glenn getting a caption of "Too Earthbound".  Actually, TIME seemed
    to "after" all the VP candidates, as none escaped being criticized,
    including Lloyd Bentsen.
                            
    	Larry
    

    	On this date in 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first
    American to orbit Earth.  Glenn circled the globe three times in 
    five hours aboard the MERCURY spacecraft FRIENDSHIP 7. 
    
        There was concern during the flight when a faulty heat shield 
    indicator light had Mission Control fearing that Glenn's heat shield 
    on his spacecraft had come loose or off.  If this were true, then 
    Glenn would burn up with FRIENDSHIP 7 when he tried to enter Earth's 
    atmosphere.  Mission Control told Glenn to leave his retropack attached 
    to the heat shield, rather than ejecting it per normal procedure.  It 
    was hoped this would keep the shield in place.  As it turned out, the
    indicator was the only thing faulty and Glenn splashed down safely.
    
        Glenn was not the first human to orbit Earth, though.  Soviet
    cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made one orbit of Earth on April 12, 1961
    aboard VOSTOK 1.  Gherman Titov made 17 Earth orbits in August of
    that year, becoming the first human to spend an entire day in space.
    In May and July of 1961, the U.S. had sent two astronauts on brief
    suborbital flights across the Atlantic Ocean.
    
    	Larry
  

Article: 1840
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space
Subject: Senator recalls his historic space flight
Date: 19 Feb 92 21:11:42 GMT
 
	WASHINGTON (UPI) -- It was 30 years ago Thursday that a voice
crackled over the Mission Control radio: ``Godspeed John Glenn.'' 

	Seven presidents have occupied the White House since then, the
computer age has dawned, and men have walked on the Moon.  But to Sen.
John Glenn, D-Ohio, time has done little to diminish the memory of the
events of Feb. 20, 1962.  On that day, Glenn achieved historic
immortality by becoming the first American to orbit Earth. 

	``I think the astronaut background will always be there and
always be of interest to people,'' Glenn said in a recent interview
with the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. ``I am asked about it daily when I
go around the state, but most of our discussions do not center on the
space program.  They focus on jobs they have or fear they might lose,
and on the education of their kids.'' 

	Glenn would prefer to talk about the nation's economy or other
issues, especially since this is an election year.  But he has never
emphasized his hero status during his 17 years in the Senate. 

	Glenn's first press secretary, Steve Avakian, remembers
touring public schools with Glenn during the senator's first term in
the mid-1970s. 

	``They did not know John Glenn as a politician -- and they had
not witnessed the event personally,'' Avakian said.  ``But he was like
a page out of their history books.  And the whole picture, the guy in
the spacesuit climbing out of Friendship 7 comes walking into the front 
door of Defiance High School.  It was a feeling almost beyond belief.'' 

	Glenn, 70 years old, is now nearly fully involved in his
political role. 

	``The people of Ohio elected him as the senator from Ohio,''
an aide said, ``not the senator from NASA.'' 

	Glenn was interviewed by the Plain Dealer shortly after his
Feb. 20, 1962, space trip.  He described the harrowing moments when
mission control technicians believed his space craft's heat shield was
coming loose as he hurtled back into Earth's atmosphere at 17,500
miles an hour. 

	``Here came this big chunk of burning material -- and (flames)
were coming past the window,'' said Glenn.  ``I was not certain at that
time. I thought:  'Gee, I hope that the reto-pack is still out there,
but if it is not, it is the heat shield burning up.  And if it is the
heat shield that is burning, then I am going to feel the heat on my
back first.''' 

	But the heat shield remained in place and Glenn would later
marvel that NASA went 25 more years, until the Challenger tragedy,
without losing an astronaut in space. 

	Glenn said he remembers Challenger Commander Dick Scobie's
last words, just seconds before a fireball engulfed the doomed
shuttle:  ``Throttle up.'' 

	But Glenn has never wavered in his support of the nation's
space program. 

	``If it dies,'' Glenn said of the space program, ``then we as
a nation start to die.  So correct the difficulties and throttle up.''