NASA HONORS LEGENDARY ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN

Feb. 10, 2006

Dean Acosta/Doc Mirelson
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 358-1400/1600

MEDIA ADVISORY: M06-020

NASA HONORS LEGENDARY ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN

NASA will honor John Glenn, one of the original seven NASA astronauts,
with the presentation of the Ambassador of Exploration Award.

The award is being presented at 4:00 p.m. EST, Monday, Feb. 20 at the
John Glenn Institute of Public Service and Public Policy, 300 Page
Hall, Ohio State University, 1810 College Road, Columbus, Ohio. For
information about the institute and media access to the event,
contact: Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110; email: .

NASA is presenting the Ambassador of Exploration Award to the 38
astronauts who participated in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space
programs for realizing America's vision of space exploration from
1961 to 1972. The award is a small sample of lunar material encased
in Lucite mounted for public display. The material is part of the 842
pounds of samples brought back to Earth during the six Apollo lunar
expeditions from 1969 to 1972. Glenn's award will be displayed at the
institute.

Glenn was born in 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio. As a Marine aviator, he
flew combat missions during WW II and the Korean War. He was selected
as one of the original NASA Mercury astronauts in April 1959. On Feb.
20, 1962, he piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 "Friendship 7" spacecraft on
the first U.S. orbital mission, circling Earth three times during the
four hour, 55 minute flight. In 1998, he completed his last space
flight on the Space Shuttle Discovery, completing 134 Earth orbits
during the nine-day mission.

For Glenn's astronaut biography on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/ab.../glennbio.html

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home


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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.nl