John Herschel Glenn Jr. was also a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps and a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea. He flew the F-4 Corsair, the F-86 Sabrejet and set a transcontinental speed record in the F-8 Crusader. He has about 9,000 hours of flying experience.

We sent Senator Glenn a letter and a list of interview questions and were pleased to get his response.

Dear Maggie, Cole, Louisa and Colleen:

Thank you for your interest in my participation in the space program. I hope this letter and the materials I am enclosing will answer most of your questions about my original flight, now more than 40 years ago and my recent flight aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.

When I was growing up, no one took space travel seriously. We dreamed of flying airplanes and exploring far away places on Earth, but adventures in space were only talked about in fantasy and fiction - in fact, the word astronaut did not even exist. Once the possibility of going into space became a reality, I wanted to go and I was excited when I learned I was going to be one of the first people in space. I looked forward to learning new things and going someplace no one had ever been before.

The name of my spaceship was Friendship 7 and it actually was very small. I stayed strapped into my seat most of the time because of the weightlessnes. After three orbits of the Earth, Friendship 7 spalshed down in the ocean.

After my mission, I wanted to go back into space, but I knew there had to be a good reason for it. When I learned a few years ago that NASA was interested in studying the effects of weightlessness on the human body and how it relates to the aging process of people here on Earth, I volunteered and was thankfully and luckily selected as a Payload Specialist for STS-95.

I flew nine days on board the Discovery along with six other very capable astronauts. I was a subject for experiments on sleeplessness and muscle changes and was responsible for several of the 83 experiments conducted during the flight. I am hopeful that the information learned from these experiments will encourage further aging research in space and one-day lead to new treatments for illnesses that afflict the elderly.

I do not think any of us realized how advanced the space program would become when we first began. I believe someday, perhaps withing your lifetime, space flight may become as common as flying across the country. You may even go into space and travel farther than I did. As long as you continue to study and work hard, I believe you can achieve anything.

Best Regards.

Sincerely,

John Glenn

We then asked Senator Glenn some questions:

1. How did you decide to first enter the astronaut selection program?

At the time, I was working in the Fighter Design Branch of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (now the Bureau of Naval Weapons) and also as a fighter test pilot. I applied for the astronaut program because I felt it was a logical career step, a challenging opportunity, and one in which I would succeed. I was one of 130 people with the basic qualifications, and have always considered myself very fortunate to be selected in the first group of seven astronauts.

2. How many years were you connected with the space program prior to your flight?

The Manned Space Program started in 1958, and the selection of astronauts occurred in late 1958 and early 1959. The announcement of the selections of the first seven astronauts, of which I was one, was made in April, 1959. Our training started immediately. After the first two years of training and study, we were ready for space flights, but they were delayed while equipment was developed. I made America's first orbital flight on February 20, 1962, in Friendship 7.

3. How did you feel prior to the flight?

Many people assume astronauts must be deathly afraid prior to a flight, but I didn't look at it that way. I looked forward to the mission, to conducting this new research, and to learning everything we could about man's reaction to space flight.

We were well trained, had worked personally with the engineers and scientists developing the equipment, and had been closely involved with planning the research projects. The space program was so new and different from the experience of most people, that it was understandable that they had greater doubts than we did. But even then, we were certainly aware that the tremendously increased speeds, power, and complexities of space travel could put us in dangers as yet undefined, but the risks were worth it.

4. How did you go to the bathroom during your mission?

There were no provisions in the Mercury spacecraft for solid waste, although we did make dietary changes prior to flight. We had a system designed to handle liquid waste.

5. What did you eat during your mission, and how did it taste?

I took along a number of different kinds of foods, all emulsified like baby food. It was packaged in containers much like toothpaste tubes. I had no trouble eating any of it, and it tasted fine.

On STS-95, my crewmates and I had a choice of 42 different food items ranging from shrimp cocktail to oatmeal to chicken teriyaki. The food was freeze-dried (like what you might buy in a camping store - in fact, that's one of the spin-off benefits from the space program) and quite tasty. Some astronauts say that food starts to taste bland after they've been in space for a while, but I did not find this to be the case.

6. What is take-off like?

In both cases, lift-off was fairly gentle because it takes time for the thrust of the booster rockets to move the heavy weight of the spacecraft, although the Discovery, with its much stronger thrust, did leave the pad more quickly. And soon thereafter, it rotated on its axis out toward the Atlantic as it the case now with all shuttle flights. The major differences were the amount of G (gravity) forces sustained when the vehicle inserted into and re-entered from orbit. On Friendship 7, I experienced about 8 Gs, compared to 3 Gs while on Discovery. Think of it this way: imagine sitting on a set of scales. If you normally weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would register 800 pounds ( or 300 pounds) on the scales during orbital entry and re-entry into the atmosphere.

7. What was re-entry like?

On Friendship 7, once I made it through the upper fringes of the atmosphere, my main concern was making sure the drogue chute came out at about 25,000 feet. This would stabilize the spacecraft and prepare it for the opening of my main chute at 10,000 feet. One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was the main chute deploying and filling with air. It slowed my descent for a safe spashdown in the ocean. The spacecraft went under when I hit the water, but it bobbed back up again and the chute automatically detached. After 25 minutes, I was lifted aboard the destroyer, U.S.S. Noa.

The shuttle descended and landed in roughly the same fashion as a large airplane. As I pointed out earlier, the pilot and copilot handled the landing of the Discovery with deft skill on a beautiful, warm sunny day on November 7 at Cape Kennedy. Even though we had lost the drag chute door, there was no need to deploy the chute which serves as backup protection anyway.

8. What are some of the other differences between your two missions?

Well, on my first mission, there was one commander, pilot, crewmate and passenger - namely me.

On my second mission, I had the privilege of traveling with 6 other astronauts. I can tell you firsthand that this is one fine, talented group of individuals and as dedicated and gifted as any of the astronauts I knew from the early days of the space program.

There were some other differences I'd like to point out, especially with the spacecraft. Here are just a few facts and figures for comparison.
Weight: Friendship 7 - 4,256 pounds, Discovery - 153,819 pounds
Habitable Volume: Friendship 7 - 36 cubic feet, Discovery - 2,325 cubic feet
Onboard Computers: Friendship 7 - none, Discovery - 5
Cockpit Display Components: Friendship 7 - 143, Discovery - 2,312
Altitude: Friendship 7 - 162.2 statute miles, Discovery - 325 statute miles
Duration: Friendship 7 - 4 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds, Discovery - about 8 days, 20 hours
Distance Flown: Friendship 7 - 75,679 miles, Discovery - 3,600,000 miles

9. Were you glad to be back on Earth?

I was glad to be back in both cases, although it was such a fascinating experience, part of me wished it wasn't over.

10. How did you feel returning to gravity?

On my first flight, I was only in space for just under 5 hours, so I didn't feel much difference upon return in terms of readjusting to gravity. My second flight was much longer and the adjustment much different because of the duration spent in weightlessness. When I stepped out of the shuttle, I was careful to walk gingerly as my legs felt heavy and my muscles a little weak. I also made sure not to turn my head quickly as I knew that it would throw off my balance. But I would say that withing a couple of days I was back to 95 to 98 percent of where I was before the flight.

11. Do you want to go into space a third time?

My wife, Annie was asked that question earlier and she gave an emphatic no. She's the real boss in our house, so there's your answer. I'll leave the honor to some other lucky person.

12. Have you ever regretted leaving the space program after your first flight?

If the decision would have been left up to me, I would have preferred to remain in the active astronaut corps. Soon after my flight though, I was offered an astronaut training and management position at NASA Headquarters, which I chose not to do. Some years later I was told that President Kennedy told NASA that he preferred I not be on active flight status. Since I was not going to be on active flight status, I stayed on with NASA for a couple of years to plow my Mercury experience back into the program and then went on to other pursuits.

13. Do you remain in contact with the other members of the "Original 7"?

Yes. I stay in close contact with the other Mercury astronauts and their families. In fact, we jointly have established the "Mercury 7 Foundation," a charitable foundation which provides scholarships to promising young men and women.

14. What dow weightlessness feel like?

I found weightlessness to be very pleasant during both my flights. On Friendship 7, I faced tight space constraints in the capsule, so I remained strapped in my seat. On Discovery, I had much more room to maneuver and experiment. I was able to float around, somersault and spin -- what fun!

15. What do you feel was your most important contribution to the space program?

During my flight, I was able to perform basic research experiments that helped contribute to what we know about humans in space. The primary scientific objective of my mission was to determine the reaction of the body's senses to weightlessness. Prior to my flight, we didn't know what the reaction of human senses to spaceflight would be. The point of the mission was not simply to shoot someone up in space, but for that person to also conduct scientific research experiments. For example, we really didn't know what would happen to our vision in weightlessness -- whether the shape of our eye would change or not. So, throughout my flight, I had a small eye chart that I would read to determine whether my vision was changing. It's that sort of research -- though it may sound simple compared to today's complicated experiments -- that enabled us to learn about space travel and its affect on the human body. In addition to this primary scientific objection, I also conducted basic photographic and spectrographic experiments.

16. In your opinion, what is the most important area or thing a school teacher could teach students about space exploration in order to keep their interest focused into adulthood?

I think space exploration offers teachers a wide variety of opportunities to engage students in all sorts of academic disciplines, especially the sciences and mathematics. The astronauts currently flying on the Space Shuttle and who will soon fly on the International Space Station are trained in a variety of disciplines spanning the science and engineering spectrum. NASA has a number of education programs and has developed curriculum for teachers at all grade levels. My office would be pleased to help you get connected to these programs, if you would like.

Perhaps the single most important lesson for students from our space exploration program is that a rigorous, methodical approach to a problem or question using the scientific method can yield answers previously thought unknowable. Instructing students about the scientific method will not only enable them to follow the nearly daily discoveries in space exploration (and perhaps participate in them directly) but will also allow them to apply rigorous, logical thought to other aspects of their lives.

17. You have been a hero and role model for many Americans. What role models, if any, were influential in guiding your life?

First off, my mother and father have always been a strong influence on my life. They taught me that hard work and a commitment to learning will help you excel in life. In fact, my father was a plumber and I still keep one of his wrenches on my desk today. It reminds me of my roots and how hard work can really take you places in this world. Other than my parents, I have no single role model, but have admired different things in different people.

18. Why did you choose to become a Senator after becoming a member of the Mercury 7 and the first American to orbit the Earth?

Since it was NASA's and the President's choice that I not be on regular flight rotation, I decided to run for public office. This was something I was interested in since high school, where I had an outstanding teacher who made government and politics come alive. Of course at that time, I had no idea that I would one day be able to run for public office, but took that opportunity and completed four 6-year terms.

I believe that my experience in the military, NASA, and the private sector provided me with the appropriate background to represent the people of Ohio. In order to be reelected though, one must continue to listen to the people you represent, and be effective in fighting for their interests and the interests of the nation. Having been reelected three separate times, I guess I can say that I am providing that kind of effective representation.

19. Do you think space travel should be made available for the average citizen?

I view space as a laboratory to perform research to benefit people on Earth. The craft and astronauts who utilize this laboratory are akin to scientists and equipment in Earth-bound labs. In the future there may very well be commercial opportunities to send "the average person" into space -- provided they are willing to pay for it. But I do not think that NASA or the federal government currently have any business "giving rides" to people for promotional or other non-research reasons.

20. What do you see for the future of our space program?

I see the future as very bright. We are working on the construction of the International Space Station (ISS), a 16 nation effort to build a permanent orbiting laboratory in space. The ISS will be the largest and most complex science and engineering feat mankind has ever undertaken. Researchers will be using microgravity to explore new treatments for illnesses like AIDS, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and even the common cold. There could be breakthrough discoveries to treat these and other illnesses, demonstrating yet again how the space program benefits us here on earth. That's exciting.

NASA has other worthwhile initiatives in the works, among then: constructing the next generation of space shuttles; building a more powerful version of the Hubble telescope that will enable us to study not just the stars in other solar systems, but their planets too; and launching even more probes to Mars.

Further down the road, we might see a return to the moon to establish a lunar base, or a manned mission to Mars. These challenges will hopefully be tackled and solved by members of your generation. These initiatives require adequate support and investment to be successful and NASA's budget has actually declined over the last few years. I'd like to see that course reversed and have the President and Congress step forward and double the space budget over the next eight years.

21. Have you seen evidence of the existance of UFOs or other signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life?

I have never seen any evidence of UFOs, but I don't argue with those who claim they have.

22. What advice or guidance would you give to young people wishing to become astronauts?

The best advice for young people who want to become astronauts is to study hard and do the best they can in school. Astronauts-to-be should focus especially on science and math, but the other academic disciplines are important too. The astronaut selection process has always been extremely competitive. Many, many highly qualified people are not selected to be astronauts. Young people who are interested in space and NASA should keep in mind that there are countless ways to participate in our space program other than being an astronaut.

I hope that you find these answers informative and helpful in your quest to learn about space and my role in its exploration.

John Glenn