Printer Friendly
The Free Library
19,125,530 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

I STILL FEEL FINE; Spaceman Glenn, 77, steps unsteadily back on Earth.


SPACEMAN John Glenn said "I feel fine" last night after stepping shakily back on Earth.

And Glenn, 77, the world's oldest astronaut astronaut, crew member on a U.S. manned spaceflight mission; the Soviet term is cosmonaut. Candidates for manned spaceflight are carefully screened to meet the highest physical and mental standards, and they undergo rigorous training. , added that he would like to go straight back into space - if he could convince his wife Annie.

As the shuttle touched down in Florida, Glenn echoed the words he radioed back to Earth when he became the first American First American may refer to:
  • First American (comics), A superhero from America's Best Comics
  • First American, a division of the now-defunction Bank of Credit and Commerce International.
 in orbit in 1962.

He said: "I'm going to reprise re·prise  
n.
1. Music
a. A repetition of a phrase or verse.

b. A return to an original theme.

2. A recurrence or resumption of an action.

tr.v.
 a statement I made a long time ago, except this time it is One-`G and I feel fine - and that view is STILL tremendous."

Glenn moved slowly and stiffly as he left the shuttle Discovery with his six crewmates after their nine-day mission.

Officials had to steady him as he stepped over a pipeline during the traditional tour of inspection round the outside of the spacecraft.

Space agency scientists said his balance problems were normal for astronauts after days of weightlessness weightlessness, the absence of any observable effects of gravitation. This condition is experienced by an observer when he and his immediate surroundings are allowed to move freely in the local gravitational field. .

One NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NASA
 in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Independent U.S.
 expert said: "They need to be a little careful, particularly when they turn corners and that sort of thing. I think that's what you are seeing in him."

Later Glenn said he felt 98 per cent back to normal and "slept like a log" on his first night on Earth.

"I didn't feel too hot when I first got off. I was able to get out and walk around. I felt a little bit woozy," he said. "We had the fun part of it up there - now comes the hard work.

"There's a sense of accomplishment but a little bit of a letdown letdown

1. the sudden flush of milk flow that occurs when the calf begins to suck or when milking commences in a properly prepared cow. Depends for its occurrence on the release of oxytocin from the pituitary gland in response to massage of the teats and udder.
 that it's all over. I'm very, very proud and I have a great sense of satisfaction.

"I feel very elated e·lat·ed  
adj.
Exultantly proud and joyful.



e·lated·ly adv.

e·lat
 that things went well - we would like to go right back up again."

Then he added: "You would have to check with Annie on that - but probably not unless there was some rising demand that I go back up again.

"Annie was very glad to have me back and I was glad to see her - it was a very touching moment. What we said to each other was private."

But he revealed that when he left for space he told her: "I'm going to the corner shop to get some gum" - a lucky saying in his family since the Second World War.

And he had a message for the world's pensioners: "Go for it - don't sit on a couch some place."

Glenn, a human guinea pig guinea pig (gĭn`ē), domesticated form of the cavy, Cavia porcellus, a South American rodent. It is unrelated to the pig; the name may refer to its shrill squeal.  in the study of the effects of space travel on an ageing body, will fly to NASA HQ in Houston, Texas “Houston” redirects here. For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation).
Houston (pronounced /'hjuːstən/) is the largest city in the state of Texas and the
, for medical tests.

Experiments on him during the 3.6 million-mile flight included providing 10 blood samples and 16 urine samples.

He also had to wear special suits and caps full of instruments to measure such things as his breathing and brainwaves while he slept.

Even as the shuttle landed he was wired up to heart and blood pressure monitors.

Scientists say the data collected from him may help them learn more about the ageing process, which is similar to the effects of space travel.

Glenn spoke to President Clinton for 10 minutes after landing.

The president had used the Internet for the first time as the pair swapped E-mails from space.

Glenn's original words in orbit 36 years ago were: "Zero G and I feel fine. Oh, that view is tremendous."
COPYRIGHT 1998 MGN LTD
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1998 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:Lines, Andy
Publication:The Mirror (London, England)
Date:Nov 9, 1998
Words:558
Previous Article:CALLS POUR IN OVER JENNY MURDER HUNT.
Next Article:SACK THREAT TO MOLE.



Related Articles
Return to space.
Countdown for space OAP Glenn.
Spaceman Glenn is a hero again.
Spaceman Glenn is a hero again.
GLENN FLIGHT ENDS ON HIGH NOTE; SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY MISSION EXCEEDS NASA'S EXPECTATIONS.

Terms of use | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles