When John Glenn flies into space at two o'clock this afternoon, he will be more than a single man on a mission to outer space. Rather, his roles as an American hero, U.S. senator, senior citizen and scientific subject have once again thrust him into the spotlight and brought generations together in awe of his accomplishments: His mission will prompt older generations to reminisce about his orbit around the Earth 36 years ago and younger generations to become acquainted with the wonder of space flight.
But the scientific importance of Glenn's flight is under debate. Some question the motive behind the decision of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to fly Glenn instead of other less famous but equally qualified astronauts.
Preparing to participate in arguably the most hyped flight since before the disastrous accident that claimed the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986, Glenn, who is 77, has put manned space flight under the spotlight once again.
The once and future astronaut's age has been one of the most interesting and widely discussed issues surrounding this space flight. Glenn was first launched into American consciousness as a member of the Mercury Project, which earned him the distinguished honor of being the first human to orbit the earth in 1962. After the STS-95 mission, Glenn will be the oldest person to spend time in space.
"Glenn... has devoted a lifetime to being in the lead, including, at present, showing the elderly how to be active into their late 70s," said Laurence Branch, a research professor at the University's Center for the Study of Aging.
Associate Professor of sociology Angela O'Rand agreed that Glenn's ability to remain productive fits the general trend of longer life expectancies. As result of technological advances, she explained, "the most optimistic of demographers think that [humans'] real life expectancy may be over 100 years old."
Branch added that age, disease and the environment are the three factors that influence humans' health and body functions; today's flight will test two of these.
During the nine-day space flight, Glenn
"As we age, we undergo some of the same changes that our bodies undergo on space flight," he said. "Perhaps [Glenn] will have a smaller change in space flight than the younger individuals," he said.
One of the two primary studies will examine the sleep patterns of astronauts, who often have difficulty sleeping in space much as the elderly have irregular sleep patterns. Scientists plan to use evidence collected from the study of sleep patterns and deep internal body temperature of Glenn and five other astronauts from a variety of missions. The latter tests an individual's circadian rhythms, which normally regulate sleep and are demonstrated through deep internal body temperature.
"It'll be nice to compare his data with those that are younger than him," Charles said.
The other major experiment tests for muscle degeneration: Specific muscle proteins are lost during space flight, but scientist are unsure whether the body is simply not producing them or breaking them down too quickly. By tracing the different proteins in the body using urine and blood samples taken at specified times during the flight, researchers hope to determine which of the processes is primarily responsible for the disappearance of the protein.
"Perhaps [Glenn] will have a smaller change in space flight then the other, younger astronauts," Charles said.
NASA continues to stress the scientific importance of the flight, but critics have suggested that NASA is using Glenn to garner media attention and not to conduct serious scientific research. Duke Professor of History Alex Roland, a former NASA historian, has appeared on major networks such as CNN and NBC to voice his criticism.
"I don't have any objection to John Glenn flying into space, just don't call it science," Roland said in an interview with The Chronicle. "There's nothing important going on here. The reason it's getting all the public attention is simply nostalgia."
Roland explained his two objections to the flight: "It misinforms the public about what science is and makes it look like NASA doesn't know what science is."
He suggested that Glenn was chosen for the flight because he is an American hero and not because he is the best test subject. In most scientific investigations NASA conducts, Roland explained, an experiment is designed around a question. "The experiment's design would include the characteristics of the subjects you'd want to test," he said. "What's happened in this case is someone walked in off the street and said, 'Let's build an experiment around me.'"
But NASA officials stand by their decision. "I don't know how anybody can say that [there are no benefits to this study] without any results," Charles said.
Roland also criticized the small size of the pool of people being studied. "We won't know the effect of weightlessness on old people, we'd know the effect of weightlessness on John Glenn," he said.
Branch said, however, that the small sample size experiments NASA generates on each of its missions is the first step. "[NASA is] the cutting edge of the next generation of large sample experiments," he said. To those challenging the significance of the investigations, "I just scratch my head and wonder how narrow their vision is," he said.
Al Rossiter, head of the Duke News Service, was a reporter who followed NASA at Cape Canaveral for United Press International from 1963-1973 and is more positive about the flight. "Obviously John Glenn isn't just any 77-year old person. There's a wealth of background medical data on him," he said.
Rossiter also does not discount the importance of Glenn's hero status and the major publicity the flight and the entire space program will receive from Glenn's participation. "If you believe as I do that space flight is important then public support and public funding is important," he said. "NASA won't admit that but it's clear that the public relations basis is important."
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