WASHINGTON – An honored member of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) makes his Olympic debut Friday morning as he carries the torch of the 2002 Winter Games through Utah.
Jake Garn, former United States Senator and Payload Specialist aboard space shuttle flight STS 51-D, will run the last leg that will bring the torch into the Salt Lake Valley, at the entrance of Emigration Canyon.
Garn is a member of the NAC, which provides the NASA Administrator with counsel and advice on agency programs and issues.
Helping to bring the Olympic Torch to Salt Lake has been a long-standing goal for Garn, who is 69. As mayor of Salt Lake City 30 years ago, Garn laid the groundwork for the city’s eventually successful bid for a winter Olympic games.
Senator Garn has maintained himself in excellent physical condition since his return from space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. As with all flight crewmembers, Garn receives an annual physical examination at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in an ongoing collection of medical data to determine the long-term effects of space flight.
Garn was aboard Discovery in 1985 for a seven-day mission, during which he participated in a number of medical experiments aimed at helping to understand the impact of weightlessness on the human body.
