nasa s stringent training programme to become astronauts. they asked me, do you want to be an they asked me, do you want to be an astronaut? i said yes! be an astronaut? ! said yes! they be an astronaut? i said yes! they told be an astronaut? i said yes! they told me that i had done better they told me that i had done better and competed done completed the work faster than any the completed the work faster than any the guys. sol completed the work faster than any the guys. so i got a hold of nasa any the guys. so i got a hold of nasa four times, i said i want of nasa four times, i said i want to of nasa four times, i said i want to become an astronaut. nobody want to become an astronaut. nobody would take me!- want to become an astronaut. nobody would take me! none of the women nobody would take me! none of the women for nobody would take me! none of the women for the nobody would take me! none of the women for the programme i the women for the programme ever made it
reporter: glenn lost the nomination. that didn t stop him, though. at age 77, he was back in space again, flying a nine-day mission on the shuttle discovery, the oldest person ever to travel into space. despite it all, john glenn never considered himself a hero saying, i think i m the same person who lived in ohio and went off to participate in a lot of events of importance. modesty from a man who took hold of space and never let go. john glenn will be buried at arlington national cemetery. he was a hero to generations of americans, including the astronauts who followed in his footsteps. joining me is mark kelly. captain kelly, how important to you personally was john glenn? well, he was a pioneer of space flight and if you use the analogy, i guess, of a kid
what a fortunate time we are in and what a great time in history to be around. reporter: later, glenn laughed at the risks he took. we used to joke about it, what do you think about on the launch pad and the standard answer was, how would you feel? glenn learned to fly in college and joined the marine corps in 1943. i spent 23 years in the united states marine corps. i was in two wars. i flew 149 missions. reporter: in 1964, glenn resigned from nasa after john f. kennedy deemed him too valuable as a national hero to risk another trip into space. in 1974, politics got his eye. and the moderate democrat won a u.s.-senate seat in ohio. he ran for president in 1984. with the nomination of my party, i firmly believe i can beat ronald reagan. reporter: glenn lost the nomination. that didn t stop him, though. at age 77, he was back in space again, flying a nine-day mission on the shuttle discovery, the oldest person ever to travel
the line i ve been dining on all day today is the fact, it s also from some like it hot although i don t like it this hot either. me either. i ll take a breeze anywhere i can get it. nbc s tevin tibble. thanks so much. after nearly 13 days in space, the final shuttle mission ended at kennedy space center. take a look. touchdown after firing the imagination of a generation like none other, the space shuttle secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time. there we have it. the final shuttle, travel into space will be placed in a museum there at cape canaveral. the one man to cover every single space mission joins me now. jay, what does it mean for nasa and the people that make up the ranks throughout nasa that are
into port for the last time. there we have it. the final shuttle, travel into space will be placed in a museum there at cape canaveral. the one man to cover every single space mission joins me now. jay, what does it mean for nasa and the people that make up the ranks throughout nasa that are there currently and the ones that have come before them? you know, thomas, we thought about that a lot here today. flight director or launch director, mike linebach said a few moments ago, what we learned was how to build a space station and how to live in space. the lessons we have learned is we should go on on colonize other places. after all, we re all on a spacecraft 8,000 miles in diameter and only 10,000 feet of life support above us. it s finite.