FILE PHOTO OF JOHN GLENN RETURNING TO ORBIT ABOARD SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY IN 1998, 1998-10-29 (photo)

Donnie McBurney (L) and Chris Welch, both of Merrit Island, Florida, watch from atop their body boards as the space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Cape Canaveral in this October 29, 1998 file photo. February 20, 2002 marks the 40th anniversary that Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn's Mercury spacecraft, the "Friendship 7", flown in 1962, is housed at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The former U.S. Senator and Marine fighter pilot became the oldest man to return to space, at the age of 77, aboard Discovery. REUTERS/Gregg Newton/File GN