He's had no nightmares, he is not queasy and his eyesight is just fine, thank you. In fact, 77-year-old John Glenn feels so good being back in space that he won't rule out another trip.
Asked whether he might try for a third mission into orbit, the world's oldest space traveler was careful to say "I think" and "likely" when calling this his last flight.Then he suggested checking with his wife. "You have to get Annie's clearance on that," he said. "I'm not sure she'd sign on for many more."
One thing is sure: Glenn would. In his first news conference since rocketing into orbit last week aboard Discovery, Glenn said about the only thing he doesn't like is being pricked with needles for blood draws. The "blood letting," as he called it, continued Monday, along with a series of other tests to study the similarities between the effects of weightlessness and aging.
Glenn woke up in full gear Monday to a recording of Andy Williams' "Moon River," which won the Academy Award for best song in 1962, the same year as Glenn's historic rocket ride. The two are good friends; Williams, in fact, sent Glenn some CDs, including his "Greatest Hits," to listen to on this flight.
Researchers hope the sleep experiment will help explain why so many astronauts sleep one to three hours less each night in orbit than they do on Earth and why the elderly tend to have trouble sleeping on Earth.
Before the senator met the media, his crewmates set loose a sun-gazing satellite that will collect solar images for two days.
To Glenn, the views from Discovery were impressive. "To me, that was not only a thrill but an emotional experience also," he said.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Glenn's voted
Among the things John Glenn attended to before lifting off again was his ballot. The Democratic senator from Ohio cast an absentee ballot last week. So did his four American crewmates. "We've all voted up here, and I'd like to see a record turnout vote" on Tuesday, Glenn said Sunday from Discovery.