Video: The Historic Journey
Countdown To Liftoff | Gore Visits Local School

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Updated 3:03 p.m. October 29, 1998 -- Liftoff! John Glenn, the oldest man in space, has launched into the record books.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Booster ignition and the liftoff of Discovery with a crew of six astronaut heros and one american legend," announced NASA.

The 77-year-old Ohio senator and the rest of the space shuttle "Discovery" crew blasted-off from the Kennedy Space Center at about 2:20 p.m.

After a couple of delays, the liftoff of Shuttle Discovery is a success.

The external tanks have seperated and will return back to earth. The astronauts are now in orbit.

ABC reported An errant aircraft was in the launch area with five minutes on the countdown clock. The launch was then stopped until the plane was escorted away.

The clock was also stopped at nine minutes. That meant the shuttle was going through a final systems review. The hold was extended about 15 minutes because a test alarm was going off, reports ABC.

John Glenn and the other six astronauts climbed inside the Shuttle Discovery and the doors were closed at 12:30 p.m. That is the final step for the crew before liftoff.

All the crew wore their baggy orange space suits and tight white caps.

Other astronauts in the crew are Curtis L.Brown, the commander; Steven W.Lindsey, pilot; mission specialists Stephen K. Robinson, Scott E. Parazynski, and Pedro Duque, and Payload Specialist 1, Chiaki Mukai.

"Welcome aboard John Glenn." With those words NASA's countdown chief Doug Lyons greeted the veteran astronaut as Glenn tested his air-to-ground radio link, reports The Associated Press.

NewsChannel5's Ted Henry, in Florida for the launch, says the excitement in the air at Kennedy Space Center today was incredible. A quarter million people swarmed the area around Cape Canaveral.

The weather was perfect for the launch, clear skies and gentle breezes the order of the day.

It was deja vu at the Space Center as crowds flocked to see Glenn rocket skyward again. AP says recreational vehicles were parked cheek-to-jowl around the space center to give campers a good view of the expected launch.

"We always have liked John Glenn. We thought the world of John Glenn. He's an important man. I think the very fact that he's going back into space says something. I mean, I'm a senior citizen myself and it's a good shot in the arm for senior citizens to see one of us going up there again," one tourist tells CNN.

The crowds near Cape Canaveral and the entire country are looking up -- way up -- to a hero circling the globe.

In 1962, Glenn went around the world three times. Over the next nine days, the space shuttle will circle the globe 144 times, in orbit 325 miles above the earth.

Glenn's family say they are concerned about his welfare on this mission, but his wife of 55 years says this flight is a lot less nerve-wracking than 1962. Ann Glenn admits, "I was scared then, I am now."

"John Glenn knows there is a finite possibility he might not come back, but the rewards of what we are going to learn so far outweigh that, that we do it. That's what the space program is about. And we've got to deal with the trade off every single day," Shuttle Pilot Steven Lindsey tells CNN.

The other astronauts don't seem to mind all the attention Glenn is getting. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime - I never thought I would ever even meet any of the original seven astronauts - let alone get a chance to fly with one so - I feel very privileged to be a part of this crew and part of this flight," claims Lindsey.

There weren't only stars in the sky for this lift off, but a lot on the ground as well.

Some of Hollywood's elite were scheduled to watch Glenn's return to space from Cape Canaveral.

Reports indicated Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks would be on hand. But they were not included in NASA's 22-page list of celebrities who were there. The AP reports Actor Bruce Boxleitner and his actress wife, Melissa Gilbert, were on the list. But stars and celebrities often attend NASA launches without any announcement by the space agency.

Jimmy Buffet also showed up. He's writing a story about the launch for Rolling Stone magazine.

President and Mrs. Clinton got a good look and feel of the action as the shuttle blasted off.

Discovery is scheduled to return to the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 7.