[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12867-S12868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       JOHN GLENN--AMERICAN HERO

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, in 1962, a few weeks before becoming the 
first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn appeared on the cover of 
Life magazine under the header, ``Making of a Brave Man.'' John Glenn 
is indeed a brave man, but to those of us who have served with him in 
the United States Senate, he is much more. He is a skilled legislator, 
a good friend, and an honorable and decent person.
  For the generation who remembers John Glenn's historic trip to space 
36 years ago, his return this month abroad the space shuttle is truly 
special. At that time, the United States was in the midst of the cold 
war with the Soviet Union. The Soviets could boast many achievements in 
space, including the launching of the first satellite. It was a tense 
time, and ours hopes as a nation were with John Glenn and the U.S. 
space program.
  On February 20, 1962, America held it's collective breath as Glenn's 
Friendship 7 capsule circled the earth three times. During this 
mission, John Glenn showed us why he was our hero. When a faulty signal 
erroneously warned that the capsule's heat shields might come loose, he 
remained calm and cool, even as he watched fiery bits of spacecraft 
flash past him during reeintry into the Earth's atmosphere. The entire 
country beamed with pride at this heroic accomplishment.
  President Kennedy called space ``a new ocean'', and John Glenn will 
go down in history as one of it's first and most important explorers. 
His flight opened the door to future missions, such as the Mercury 
program, Gemini program, and eventually the Apollo program that put man 
on the moon.
  In a few weeks, America will once again beam with pride when John 
Glenn lifts off from Kennedy Space Center abroad the Space Shuttle 
Discovery. As opposed to his first mission, which lasted five hours, 
this mission is scheduled to last nine days. During that time, Senator 
Glenn will participate in a number of experiments designed to find 
parallels between the physical stress of space flight and the natural 
aging process.
  Scientists are hopeful of finding out why astronauts and the elderly 
suffer from similar ailments, such as bone and muscle loss, balance 
disorders and sleep disturbances. Understanding these physiological 
characteristics

[[Page S12868]]

may open the door to new and innovated treatments. I am sure Senator 
Glenn is as excited about these potential breakthroughs as he is about 
his return to space.
  As a Senator, John Glenn has been a wonderful advocate on many 
important issues. Along with his hard work on space, technology and 
science issues, Senator Glenn has also been a strong voice on the need 
for his country to increase it's investment in education. So many 
times, I have seen Senator Glenn with school children in the Hart 
Senate Office Building, and I know that he inspires our next generation 
of leaders as he does us.
  So as Senator Glenn leaves the Senate, I want to give him my thanks 
for all that he has done for this country. Like all Americans, my 
thoughts and prayers will be with him as he makes history yet again. I 
wish him well on this and all his future missions.

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