Hey, Houston, he’s still alive! Admiring kid reminds space hero John Glenn that time flies

Ohio space hero John Glenn reminded time flies

COLUMBUS, Ohio — American space hero John Glenn is getting a lesson on how the younger generation views the newsmakers of his era.

The 89-year-old Glenn chuckled Friday at an Ohio campaign event at a letter he received from a third-grader who was studying the life of the former U.S. senator.

Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth and became the oldest man to fly in space when he took a 1998 shuttle flight at age 77.

The boy told Glenn he’s glad the ex-senator is still alive because a lot of his classmates’ biography subjects were dead. The boy said he hoped Glenn wrote back, and Glenn says it’s the fastest return letter he has ever written.

Glenn sported the letter at a campaign event for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a fellow Democrat who is up for re-election.