Wednesday March 25^th 2009. Launch -?? days.

Last night I started to read the book “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolffe. I already had the film which, as is well known, influenced an American Presidential election when John Glenn ran for the Democratic nomination in 1984 as the film was being released in the cinemas. Rivals feared that the free publicity would help John Glenn to the nomination but, in fact, he became a peripheral figure, totally marginalised by the press in the campaign and was never in contention. I love the film for its authenticity, mind you, the way that Lyndon Johnson is portrayed as a lunatic is alarming (was he really that way???) It will be interesting to see how it relates to the book. And yes, as I write this, I have put the film on again while the washing machine finishes.

Now, there is a connection between John Glenn and both myself and the Herschel Space Observatory. I bet though that almost no one would know what the latter is.

My connection is easier. I have seen one launch live. On October 28^th 1998 I was at the University of Florida in Gainesville the day that STS-98 launched. On board was a sprightly 77 year old called John Glenn and a rather younger up and coming astronaut from ESA called Pedro Duque on his first mission. The entire department went up onto the roof and we watched John Glenn climb up to the stars in his second mission, just 36 years after his first flight. Even from 140km away it was spectacular. It was also a neat presentation card when I met Pedro Duque some years later!

So, what is the connection between John Glenn and the Herschel Space Observatory? Well, how many people know that his full name was “John Herschel Glenn”?

I think that John Glenn, now a mere stripling of 87, would approve of Herschel going where no one has gone before.

All quiet on the Kourou front. We are still go.