Jan 16 1998
From The Space Library
Mir Commander Anatoly Y. Solovyev celebrated his 50th birthday in space, enjoying a "semi-officially" sanctioned one-gulp-per-person dose of cognac and a birthday dinner chosen from the space station's supplies. Solovyev had logged an impressive 80 hours of spacewalking during 17 walks. As of this Mir mission, Solovyev's fifth, the Russian cosmonaut had spent a cumulative total of approximately 20 months on the space station.
NASA officially named U.S. Senator John H. Glenn Jr. (D-OH), veteran astronaut of the Mercury program, as a crew member aboard Space Shuttle Discovery's Mission STS-95 planned for October 1998. At age 77, Glenn would become the oldest person to fly in orbit. In 1962 he had been the first American to orbit Earth. NASA described the research planned during Glenn's spaceflight, a joint effort between NASA and the National Institute of Aging of the National Institutes of Health. Scientists intended to supplement peer-reviewed research on sleep disorders, muscle atrophy, balance, and clinical evaluations of blood and heart function with data collected during Discovery's planned October mission. Senator Glenn had undergone medical tests with NASA physicians, as well as with independent consultants, all of whom had determined that Glenn was medically qualified for spaceflight, with an excellent fitness level. NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin remarked that Glenn "brings a unique blend of experience to NASA. He has flight, operational, and policy experience." 85
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