On October 29, 1998, the first American to orbit the Earth made history again. John Glenn became the oldest man to fly in space by serving as a payload specialist on STS-95 aboard the space shuttle … With his passing earlier today, John Glenn is being remembered as not only the first American to orbit the Earth, but also the oldest. [/caption] US spaceflight legend John Glenn has weighed in on the current human spaceflight debate, releasing an 8-page paper outlining his feelings and a …