The Ohio Democrat's sharp mind, excellent physical condition and combat-honed flying skills won him the first earth-circling space flight by an American astronaut in 1962.
Now, 36 years later, advocates of space exploration are debating whether the 76-year-old lawmaker should be allowed to go again. NASA administrator Daniel Goldin has scheduled a `major announcement' for noon today, and a knowledgeable source said it will include NASA approval for Glenn to make a space shuttle flight in October.
Glenn, D-Ohio, has hinted for years he would welcome another chance to fly in space, suggesting he would make an ideal subject for studies comparing the effects of weightlessness with the aging process. He's in good health, exercises and is still an active pilot.
The hints took a serious turn last year, and NASA confirmed it was considering Glenn's request last June.
Recently, Goldin has said he would approve a space flight for Glenn only if it was deemed safe and had scientific merit.
Sources began telling reporters Thursday that NASA had approved a seat for Glenn. The senator declined an interview request Thursday afternoon.
`I understand there is a great deal of interest in this matter, but today I have no comment on it. I look forward to discussing this in the future,' he said in a written statement released by his office.
Ohio Gov. George Voinovich called the expected announcement `great news for NASA, for America, and for Ohio. It also stands as a fitting reminder of Senator Glenn's lifelong devotion to serving his country.'
Although Voinovich is a Republican, he has worked to promote Ohio's image as an aerospace state, often in cooperation with Glenn. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and NASA's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland are two major government aerospace research centers.
Space-exploration advocates hope NASA's expected approval indicates NASA is changing its policy on allowing non-astronauts to fly in space.
`Does it open the door? We certainly hope so,' National Space Society spokeswoman Karen Rugg said in Washington, D.C. `It is interesting, if an older person does fly, what that might mean for space tourism.'
But not everyone is cheering Glenn on.
Mark Brown, a Fairborn engineer and a former astronaut who flew on two space shuttle missions, questioned the scientific value of sending Glenn into space again.
`I clearly don't understand the rationale for flying John Glenn rather than a teacher in space, a journalist, an artist, and so on,' he said.
NASA once had a program for sending non-astronauts into space. U.S. Sen. Jake Garn of Utah flew in 1985, and U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson of Florida flew a few months later.
But the program went up in smoke on Jan. 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded with New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe on board.
NASA spokeswoman Debra Rahn said the agency hasn't reactivated its so-called Space Flight Participation program.
`You should not put the two together,' she said. `Sen. Glenn would not be considered a civilian.'
With his previous astronaut training and flight, and the flying skills he keeps sharp, Rahn said, `he has a great deal of experience.'
Glenn, a native of New Concord, Ohio, blasted into space atop an Atlas rocket on Feb. 20, 1962. Strapped into his tiny Mercury capsule named Friendship Seven, he orbited the earth three times for a four-hour, 55-minute mission.
He reported seeing strange glowing objects swirling outside his window, and his re-entry became America's first space drama as engineers worried that his heat shield might be loose.
Afraid the heat shield would come off, ground controllers ordered Glenn not to jettison a rocket pack on the back of the shield. Blazing rocket parts streamed past his window during the fiery re-entry, but the heat shield held and Glenn splashed down to a hero's welcome.
* CONTACT Timothy R. Gaffney by e-mail at Timothy_Gaffney@coxohio.com, or by phone at (937) 225-2390.
Related:
* At 77, Glenn will be 16 years older than anyone ever to fly in space.
* Glenn through the years.
Stories, 9A
PHOTO CREDIT: None