BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
![[glenn]](/editions/1998/10/09/glenn_250x103.jpg)
John Glenn answers reporters' questions at Cape Canaveral Thursday with fellow members of his shuttle crew: Scott Parazynski, Stephen Robinson, Steve Lindsey, Curt Brown, Pedro Duque and Chjiaki Mukai.
(Michael E. Keating photo)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Payload specialist John Glenn took a swipe at the media Thursday for paying too much attention to him and not enough attention to the science behind the next space shuttle mission.
Standing in a blue flight suit a quarter-mile from the massive shuttle launch pad, the senator and space hero gave the press an earful. It was one of the few times he has spoken publicly during NASA's four-day dress rehearsal for the launch set for Oct. 29.
"I hope you can get into the science of this thing," Mr. Glenn said. "This is science at its very best. If people just understood what benefits they get from the space program right under their own roofs, then there wouldn't be any problems with the (NASA) budget."
Mr. Glenn said there's a 7-to-1 return to the economy for every dollar spent on the space program. This shuttle launch alone will involve dozens of experiments, ranging from the aging studies focusing on Mr. Glenn to crystal growth experiments that may advance cancer research to seed studies that could improve agriculture. More importantly, some of the knowledge gained on this flight will guide the research on the new international space station, parts of which are targeted for launch in the next several months.
In his only political comment of the day, Mr. Glenn said he was troubled that Russia is struggling to pay for its part of the space station and concerned that members of Congress constantly try to slash the space station budget.
"The space station will involve 16 nations, some of them former adversaries. It will be the biggest scientific and engineering effort ever put forward by mankind. I do not want to see it go down the tubes."
As for Glenn the man, the 77-year-old hero of the Mercury program who became the first American to orbit the Earth said he was excited to go back to space. All his life he wanted to be a part of something new and unique.
When asked whether he wanted to be remembered more for his career as an astronaut or as a senator, Mr. Glenn said, "I'll leave that to other people. Hopefully it will be in both areas. I hope people will remember those things I did that benefited other people, not just me as a person."
While the flight crew patiently endured the questions aimed at Mr. Glenn, the rest of the ground control team spent Thursday starting a simulated T-minus-22-hour countdown.
They powered up the shuttle's main computer, checked all the biomedical systems, environmental control, life support, navigation aids, and communication systems.
They checked the oxygen pressure for the astronauts' helmets, adjusted the seats for the commander and pilot, verified that all engine valves were in the right position, and practiced watching the weather radar for dangerous conditions.
While the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test is crucial for ironing out last-minute details, it also is an emotional experience for the astronauts. After spending much of their training time in Houston, these few days represent one of the first times first-time fliers get to see the actual hardware and meet the people who will be assisting them with their suits and talking on the radios.
"It's a red-letter day," said Rick Linnehan, a NASA astronaut who has made two shuttle flights and is serving as part of the crew support team for STS-95. "You say, "I'm actually here. I'm actually in the vehicle.' And you see all the hard work and all the people involved. It's kind of like, Wow."
Reporters questioned whether any training or flight procedures had been adjusted to accommodate Mr. Glenn's advanced age. The answer was none at all.
"John passed all the physicals and is perfectly capable of serving as a crew member," said Steve Altemus, NASA test director. Fellow astronauts were asked how they've felt about training and soon flying with a genuine hero of the space program.
"On one level, John is just one of the crew," Mr. Linnehan said. "Everybody has their specific jobs to do. On another level, he's John Glenn. Everybody looks at John with a little bit of awe. Sometimes the term gets used loosely, but if I could think of anybody as a hero it would be John and the other six (Mercury) astronauts. The reason I'm here is because of the original seven."
Asked how his wife felt about his return to space, Mr. Glenn said, "Originally Annie was very cool to this and my children were as well. But the more she has learned about it, the more enthusiastic she's become."
As for former astronaut Story Musgrave and others who have criticized Mr. Glenn's presence on the flight, he said they don't understand the value of the science.
"I'm not going back as a legislative passenger. I'm going back as a science passenger," he said.
Glenn has no view of launch
SPECIAL GLENN REPORTS
![[glenn]](/editions/1998/10/09/glenn_600x247.jpg)