29 October

1998: On 29 October 1998, US astronaut John Glenn was launched into space aboard Space Shuttle 'Discovery'.

In 1962, Glenn made history as the first American to orbit Earth. Now at age 77, and a US Senator from Ohio, Glenn was a member of the STS-95 crew, serving as a Payload Specialist. He carried out studies on the commonalities between the effects of spaceflight and ageing. The nine-day mission returned on 7 November 1998. His original flight had lasted about five hours.