Much of Glenn's talk focused on his experiences in space as a member of the original Mercury space program. In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. In 1998, at age 77, Glenn became the oldest person to travel to space.
Glenn explained that looking at the Earth from above helped him appreciate the fragile nature of our atmosphere and environment. He stressed the need to pass laws and make a personal effort to protect our natural surroundings. "If we take precautions and it turns out we didn't need to, thank God ... but if we foul it up, there ain't no coming back."
He also discussed the importance of the space program for scientific research. On every mission, there is a certain amount of room set aside for research projects from both the academic and business sectors.
Glenn cited a study that stated that the money spent on NASA has come back to the U.S. economy sevenfold in the form of benefits for businesses and research work. He believes the government should invest more heavily in the space program than in defense.
For this reason, Glenn believes that we should finish the International Space Station, which is already two-thirds done. President George W. Bush plans to end financial support for the International Space Station, unless it furthers its goals of returning to the moon and landing on Mars.
Glenn also spent four terms as a Democratic senator from Ohio. Speaking from his political experience, he talked about the failure of the American public education system to keep up with other countries in schooling and encouraged students to become involved in public service and politics.
"I think we have by far the best government in the world ... I think the Constitution is an amazing document, but we might as well ... burn it, unless we have people willing to take those words and make them mean something," he said.
Glenn addressed this year's presidential election and the importance of voting. "I think this is the most important election in my lifetime," he said. Glenn said that the economy, especially the national debt and foreign policy, are the two major issues for this election. He questioned the direction the country is moving in regard to these areas.
Many attendees wondered whether astronauts during that period felt that their efforts had any impact. "There was a real doubt about whether the world would stay with [America] or go Communist," Glenn answered. "We saw those [space missions] almost as military combat missions."
Another audience member wanted to know how Glenn felt as he prepared to launch. "You look at it as a mission -you accept that there is some danger, but you do it because it's important for the country. The more you train for something, the better off you are," he said. "As for your mental state, you've made up your mind and you're going to do it ... If something happens, it happens, but you [will] keep going."
One student asked whether Glenn would return to space if given the opportunity. "Yes. Tomorrow morning!" Glenn replied. "I'd love to. I think anytime you've been up there, you wish you could go up every day."
Most students felt that the lecture was a valuable experience. "It gave me a look at someone who was patriotic, while still being opposed to the current system [of government]," said Maddy Ng '07. "I think that's very eye-opening, because [students] tend to rebel against the government, but ... [Glenn showed that] ... you can still love the country very much."
"I thought it was neat because he was such a Renaissance Man," Laura Strickman ' 07 said. "[The lecture was] a good mix between personal anecdotes and political commentary."