Discovery Rolled Out For Glenn

The space shuttle Discovery was moved to the launch pad on Monday as NASA prepared for the return to orbit by U.S. Sen. John Glenn.

Discovery is scheduled to blast off Oct. 29, on a nine-day science mission that will feature medical experiments conducted by Glenn on the aging process.

Glenn, 77, the first American to orbit the Earth 36 years ago, will become the oldest man in orbit during the much-anticipated flight.

Designated a payload specialist, Glenn will conduct medical experiments that NASA says will benefit both astronauts and the aged. Among the experiments, Glenn will collect blood, urine, and saliva samples, and have his heart rate and breathing monitored.

In January, CBS News was first to report on NASA's decision to send Glenn back into space. CBS News Correspondent Bob Schieffer reported that Glenn had a long-standing request with NASA to make a second trip into space, and that NASA was finally convinced by Glenn's arguments that he was the best person to serve as a test subject for research into the aging process.

Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three orbits aboard the Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962.

When Glenn made his first space flight, the Cold War was on and the mission revitalized American confidence. It turned Glenn into such a national hero, that the government barred him from future flights.

"Apparently, President Kennedy had said he didn't want me used again right away" Glenn told CBS News in January. "For why I don't know. I suppose political fallout if something happened to me."

When asked how it felt when he sat "on top of that rocket" in his legendary mission, Glenn replied, "How do you think you'd feel if you knew you were on top of the lowest bidder on the government contract with two million parts under you?"

Glenn was elected to the U.S. Senate, from Ohio, in 1974, and is retiring at the end of 1998.