The First Ever Sitting U.S. Senator To Fly In Space Was From Utah And Everyone Will Remember His Flight
×
Catherine Armstrong
Author
The Space Shuttle Program got its start in 1972, and 133 successful flights were conducted between 1977 and 2011 (manned flights began in 1981). One prominent Utahn made history on the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 12, 1985.
He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974, after serving as the Salt Lake City Mayor.
Senator Garn remembers hearing about the first manned space flight, achieved by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. He was always enthralled with the idea of space travel, and asked NASA to fly aboard a space shuttle as early as 1981, while he was the head of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversaw NASA's funding.
Senator Garn remembers hearing about the first manned space flight, achieved by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. He was always enthralled with the idea of space travel, and asked NASA to fly aboard a space shuttle as early as 1981, while he was the head of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversaw NASA's funding.
Coincidentally, Senator Garn's flight was exactly 24 years after Yuri Gagarin took his flight.
Advertisement
Senator Garn joined the mission as a Payload Specialist. The rest of the crew included Commander Karol J. Bobko, Pilot Donald E. Williams, Mission Specialist 1 M. Rhea Seddon, Mission Specialist 2 S. David Griggs, Mission Specialist 3 Jeffrey A. Hoffman, and Payload Specialist 1 Charles D. Walker.
Advertisement
Related Stories
The Great Blizzard Of 1993 Dumped 26 Inches Of Snow On Utah
Visit These Fascinating Puebloan Village Ruins In Utah For An Adventure Into The Past
Discover A Treasure Trove Of Novelties At Cobwebs Antiques & Collectibles In Utah
It was Discovery's fourth mission, and the 16th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.
Senator Garn suffered horrible space sickness during the journey. He wasn't the only crew member to experience space sickness - Payload Specialist Charles D. Walker was also ill during the journey.
Do you remember Jake Garn’s space flight? We’d love to read your thoughts in our Facebook comments!
Utah’s Great Salt Lake is so large that you can see it from space! We wonder if Senator Garn got a good look at it during his mission.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Featured Addresses
Utah, USA