John Glenn's second space flight

John Glenn was 40 years old when he first ventured into space 36 years ago. Now 77, he was allowed to fulfill his dream because space flight today is much safer and less taxing than it was in 1962.

Concern for its public image may be the real reason that NASA relented to Glenn's requests for a second space flight. NASA's strategy seems to have hit the mark, as Glenn's flight has attracted enormous public interest.

But even space programs need vitamin shots on occasion. We hope that the experiments on aging conducted by Glenn and Chiaki Mukai, the flight's two payload specialists, will succeed and make Glenn's second flight a meaningful one.

NASA believes that it is appropriate that Glenn, who ushered in America's first space era, will also draw the curtains on that era. The new age, which will revolve around the international space station, gets under way in November.

-- The Mainichi Shimbun, Tokyo