Space hero calls for robust space program, strong civil service

Forty years after he became the first American to orbit the Earth, astronaut John Glenn criticized plans by NASA to scale back the international space station and urged the nation's leaders to pledge more funds for scientific research in space. Glenn, 80, offered his thoughts during an event commemorating his history-making journey at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on Wednesday. On Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn circled the Earth three times in the 1,300-pound Friendship 7 space capsule before landing in the Atlantic Ocean. His flight paved the way for additional manned space flights, including the Apollo missions that took Americans to the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Glenn spoke at length about his mission and the early U.S. space program. He reminisced about NASA's efforts to limit the weight of his spacecraft, which included a design without windows. Glenn fought this decision and eventually took some of the first pictures of Earth from space out of a single window in the top of Friendship 7. "NASA has not reimbursed me to this day [for the pictures]," he said to laughter from the audience. "Sean O'Keefe, where are you?" he asked of the NASA administrator, who was present at the event. Glenn described some of the scientific advances that resulted from the first space flights and called for increased funding for scientific research in space. "One thing we've learned about research is that it is always worth the investment," he said. Glenn also took issue with a proposal to curtail the design of the International Space Station to accommodate fewer astronauts than originally planned, saying it could limit research. An expert panel proposed the idea last year after reviewing the program for NASA and the Office of Management and Budget. The space station is nearly $5 billion over budget. Earlier Wednesday, Glenn placed a call to astronauts Carl Walz and Daniel Bursch, who are circling the Earth on the space station. When asked about his future plans, Glenn joked that he would like to return to space with his wife before turning serious and describing his work with the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University, which promotes public service among high school and college-age students. "I've felt for the last 15 years that we have had so much cynicism and apathy among young people toward government that it could be a hazard to our future," he said. Glenn, who chaired the Senate Governmental Affairs committee during a four-term career in the U.S. Senate, said the U.S. Constitution was the greatest statement of government ever written but ultimately depends on an engaged citizenry and people who want to work for government. "We might as well take it out and burn it unless we take it out and make it real for everybody," he said.