Launch Date Set for STS-95
News story originally written on October 17, 1998

NASA finalized the launch date for the Space Shuttle Discovery and STS-95. Discovery will take off on October 29th at 2 p.m. EST from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. The mission is scheduled to last almost nine days.

This much-anticipated flight will feature John Glenn's return to space. In 1962, Glenn was third American in space and the first American to orbit the Earth. He will be part of a study on the similar effects of aging and space flight. The crew will also have many other tasks to perform.

"This flight will demonstrate the flexibility and importance of the Space Shuttle through the vast array of scientific experiments and a challenging on-orbit crew timeline. Also, as we observe NASA's 40th anniversary this month, we have the unique opportunity to refly the first American to orbit the Earth," said NASA's Johnson Space Center Director, George Abbey.

The crew consists of seven members. Curt Brown is the mission commander; Steven Lindsey is the pilot; Steve Robinson, Scott Parazynski, and Pedro Duque are mission specialists; Glenn and Chiaki Mukai are payload specialists.

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