KIDS TO GET LOOK AT HISTORY; AREA PUPILS WIN TRIP TO SHUTTLE LAUNCH.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Next month, sixth-graders Sarah McIlvaine and Jason Stewart will witness a historic encore in space exploration: a space shuttle launch with 77-year-old astronaut John Glenn aboard.

The two Rio Vista Elementary School pupils won a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in a recent essay contest, and their prize includes passes to watch the shuttle Discovery blast into orbit. Glenn and six other astronauts will depart Oct. 29 for the nine-day mission.

For the next month, both pupils plan to study up on Glenn, the former Marine who flew combat missions in World War II and in the Korean War, became a military test pilot and then was selected as one of the original Mercury program astronauts.

``All I know is he orbited space a few times,'' Jason, 10, said. ``That's great that he's old but still strong enough to go in the shuttle and live out his dreams.''

An Ohio senator the past 24 years, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. On Feb. 20, 1962, he piloted the Friendship 7 space capsule for nearly five hours. The shuttle Discovery mission will be only his second astronaut stint, but the project will make him the oldest person ever to travel in space.

Sarah, 11, said her family connections piqued her interest in space. ``My brother just went to Space Camp (in Huntsville, Ala.), and my dad is a worker at Boeing (Co.) in Canoga Park,'' she said. ``He inspects the chemicals to make sure they're safe for the environment.''

This month, she added, her family went to Palmdale to see the newly overhauled shuttle Atlantis on display before its return to Florida.

Accompanied by assistant Principal Jon Baker and teacher Sue O'Brien, the pupils will travel to Cape Canaveral in Florida for the Discovery launch as the guests of shuttle astronaut Scott Parazynski. Plane tickets were donated by Southwest Airlines.

Baker met Parazynski years ago when both were members of a United States luge team trying to win a spot in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Parazynski has flown two previous shuttle missions, in 1994 and 1997, both of them aboard Atlantis. He will serve as flight engineer on his third trip.

While in Florida, the Rio Vista contingent will visit Atlantis Elementary School in Orlando, where two teachers offered to provide free lodging at their homes for Baker, O'Brien, Sarah and Jason.

The Rio Vista group will view the shuttle liftoff from the NASA Causeway, a road that runs through the Kennedy Space Center and is about seven miles from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

``I bet it's like an earthquake when the shuttle goes off,'' Sarah told Baker as she and Jason composed an e-mail to the students at Atlantis Elementary.

After the launch, the students will tour the Kennedy Space Center and visit the launch pad before returning Oct. 31 to California.

THE WINNING ESSAYS

Space is a wonderful thing. We can explore places never seen before and do special experiments. We can put up satellites for TV, radio and telephone operations. Space helps us advance in technology.

We explore space because we can do experiments up there that we can't do on Earth. We also explore space to find out new things that people don't know about. Like exploring Mars and Jupiter. Just a few weeks ago, they found a dust ring around Jupiter. We put up satellites and take samples of the gravity level. We also take samples of dirt and moon rocks.

We should continue exploring space because everybody has a curiosity about what's on different planets in space. Exploring space gives us an opportunity to solve all of our curiosities. For example, I know a few people who want to know if there is life on Mars. Advances in technology from space exploration might find out if there is life on any of the other planets. This is why we should continue exploring space.

- Jason Stewart

Why do we explore space, and should we continue? The question has been asked for centuries. My answer will appear in the following words that make up my essay. Planets have very puzzling mysteries. Mars has the most signs of extraterrestrial inhabitants. Earth has living proof of life, Jupiter would be a star if it grew any larger, and Uranus spins on its side. This is why we explore space.

Astronauts are sent into the brilliance of the skies to get rid of all those mysteries. They study, take tests, and train hard to become who they are. We should continue to explore space so that we are discovered by our ancestors as ``intelligent beings.'' Space is one of the places we have just barely begun to scratch the surface of exploring. It would be a shame to discontinue studies.

I have always been interested in space, and it would be an honor to watch Mr. John Glenn's historic flight. I truly believe that this would be a good chance to learn about something as important as space. I'm really hoping for a chance at being able to say I witnessed such a thing.

- Sarah McIlvaine

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

PHOTO (color) Pupils Jason Stewart and Sarah McIlvaine send e-mail messages to Florida families that will host them on a coming visit.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News

Box: The winning essays (see text)