John Glenn has been a hero to me not just because of his historic voyage, but also because he was an outspoken champion of space exploration--a cause in which I deeply believe. He was one of the most vocal critics against the dismantling of the space shuttle and the privatization of space travel. I have often wondered how our history would have been different had he been elected President (he had been a Democratic nominee who lost to Mondale).
I hope some day that we press forward into the realms beyond our Earth the way he envisioned we would.