Space Center Houston brought in experts from the space shuttle mission STS-95 to discuss the anniversary of John Glenn’s second spaceflight aboard the shuttle orbiter Discovery in the Nov. 8, 2018 installment of our ongoing Thought Leader Series.
STS-95 astronaut Dr. Scott Parazynski, flight surgeon Dr. Phil Stepaniak and mission science investigator Dr. Bill Paloski discuss sending a 77-year-old Glenn back into space.
John Glenn’s first trip into space was in a spacecraft about the size of a phone booth. His second trip had slightly more room (and five accompanying astronauts).
Glenn flew on STS-95 aboard Discovery, a nine-day mission during which the crew supported a variety of research payloads including Glenn’s investigations on space flight and the aging process.
Glenn returned to orbit 36 years, eight months and nine days after his first mission aboard Friendship 7.
Medical research during the mission included a battery of tests on Glenn to research how the absence of gravity affects balance and perception, immune system response, bone and muscle density, metabolism and blood flow, and sleep.
