landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, the first unmanned probe to land on Mars since the 1976 Viking
space missions. The Pathfinder, which featured a six-wheeled robotic rover called Sojourner,
was initially scheduled to be operational for only 30 days, but continued to perform until
September 1997, when it sent back its last batch of information. Repeated attempts were made
to contact the probe; however, by March, 1998, NASA officials accepted that the probe was no
longer functional.
The Soviet Union launched a space shuttle, Buran (Blizzard), on an unmanned mission in
November 1988. It completed two orbits of the Earth and was remarkably similar to the United
States shuttle except for the design of the launch vehicle.
In January 1998, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to allow John
Glenn to return to space. Agency officials announced that the 76-year-old former astronaut will
be aboard the space shuttle Discovery for a mission scheduled to launch in early October 1998.
Glenn, who made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth, would earn another
place in the record books as the oldest person to travel into space. He was scheduled to serve as
a payload specialist aboard a flight of Discovery, conducting space-related research on the
effects of aging.
In announcing the news to the press, NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin stressed the
combination of hard experience and old-fashioned heroics that Glenn would bring to the
Discovery mission. Citing the senator’s experience as a Marine test pilot and astronaut, Goldin
stated that Glenn “brings a unique blend of experience to NASA. He has flight, operational, and
policy experience. Unlike most astronauts, he never got the opportunity for a second flight. He is
part of the NASA family, an American hero, and he has the right stuff for this mission.”
At a NASA press conference, the senator explained that his desire to join the Discovery
mission stemmed not only from a love of space travel, but also from his interest in using space
flight to study certain aspects of aging. Space flight and the aging process share several
physiological responses such as bone and muscle loss, balance disorders, and sleep disturbances.
Because of these similarities, scientists believe that space flight itself can serve as a model
system for research into the processes of aging.
Senator Glenn was instrumental in promoting the use of space flight for the benefit of healthy
and productive aging. He studied the similarities between space travel and aging on his own, and
beginning in 1996 he persisted in trying to convince Goldin and other NASA officials to permit
him to travel in space to carry out firsthand studies. The senator reasoned that if he could pass
the physical, he would be well qualified for the mission. Dr. Robert Butler, a professor of
Geriatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center and director of the International Longevity Center,
stated that Senator Glenn would be “particularly well qualified since he has done this before, and
because of his work with NASA and the National Institute on Aging to develop research that will
lead to a better understanding of the effects of aging. His involvement makes a bold statement
about the capabilities of older people and will help us understand the effects of aging and space
flight. Senator Glenn’s courage and willingness to undertake this mission are notable.”
According to NASA flight surgeons, Glenn is in excellent physical condition. After passing a
battery of mandatory medical tests, he was pronounced medically qualified to fly. NASA
maintained medical records on Glenn for 42 years, and thus was able to perform an exhaustive
medical evaluation.
As a Marine fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, Glenn flew 149 missions, withstanding
11 hits by enemy fire. Following the Korean War, he served as a test pilot for several years,
working with Navy and Marine Corps jet fighters and attack aircraft. In 1957, Glenn set a
transcontinental speed record from Los Angeles to New York. He still flies his own plane, and
he set a record for speed on a flight from Dayton Ohio to Washington D.C.