Musgrave: It Ain't Rocket Science
Story Musgrave, current holder of the title of the oldest man in space, thinks civilians should be allowed to go to space. But, as CBS "This Morning" Field Anchor Jose Diaz-Balart reports, it may be hard trying to convince Musgrave that John Glenn's return to orbit is for the sake of science.
"He ought to be going into space because it's a fun thing to do. But I think the basic reason he's going is because he is John Glenn, and because he's a senator. There is no aging program. There is no program. This is a one-shot," says Musgrave.
His career at NASA spanned 30 years. He participated in the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs. He has degrees in surgery and poetry. He earned the nickname as the man who saved NASA. After his record sixth shuttle flight late in 1996, at the age of 61, NASA, without explanation, told Musgrave that he would no longer be traveling into space.
"There was probably an understanding that I had had enough, or they had had enough of me; probably more the latter," says Musgrave.
Today, at 63, he follows his own personal mission getting people, particularly children, interested in and involved with space. As soon as NASA closed the hatch on him, many others opened, including an offer from Disney, where his ideas command the personal attention of head man Michael Eisner. Still, he says he would go back into orbit, especially if NASA is interested in aging in space.
"I think the opportunity was there since they had over 30 years of data on me. They could have gone on a little longer or studied me more in terms of my age when they did fly me. There is no question for elderly people...that they did look upon me as an inspiration for what could be done at an elder age," says Musgrave.
But, he says, he wouldn't go back just for the sake of going back. "If I am offered another ride in space, and I perceive that the motivations are not purely for the sake of exploration of space, I'm going to decline it. It's perfection for the sake of perfection. I believe in that. That's what I believe in."
Keith Cowings, who runs an Internet site called NASA Watch, says, "I think the fact that Dr. Musgrave was told he wasn't going to fly again, I think it's a grand waste of the taxpayer's money."
Explains Cowings, "NASA came up with the aging experiments to help justify Glenn's flight. Suddenly, they have scientific plans to fly humans, so they claim. You look through the reference libraries. There is nothing there. The prime rational for flying John Glenn as a scientific research animal is bogus."
CBS "This Morning" has learned exclusively that some members of Congress will be asking questions about the decision-making process which has Glenn going back into space.
Recently, reporters from the New York Newsday asked for material related to Glenn's flight.
A request for similar materials from the Johnson Space Center brought Nwsday a similar response: "The requested information does not exist."
Says Cowings, "[NASA] cannot function without paper. I'm astonished they can't find a memo that says 'Glenn is going to be on this flight. What equipment do we need?'... There is no paper? Does this all happen by telephone calls? There is something going on here if they can't give you a piece of paper."