Obama, Glenn Meet And Talk About Ambitious Space Program Plans

President Obama and legendary U.S. astronaut John Glenn chatted about controversial plans for the nation's human spaceflight program today in a private meeting in the White House, administration officials said today.

Glenn, who turned 89 on Sunday, reportedly urged Obama to keep the nation's shuttle fleet flying until the president's preferred commercial space taxis have been developed, tested and proven capable of safely and reliably ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Once the shuttle is retired the U.S. will pay Russia to fly American astronauts on round trips to the outpost. The latest cost per seat: about $58 million.

Glenn, one of the seven original Mercury astronauts, became the first American to orbit Earth in February 1962, and he returned to space in 1998 aboard shuttle Discovery. Then age 77, Glenn became the oldest person to fly in space.

The retired U.S. Senator from Ohio recently wrote a white paper that called for an extension in shuttle operations, which are due to stop after construction of the International Space Station is complete next year. Glenn agrees with Obama's plan to extend station operations through 2020. But he also has raised serious concerns about shutting the shuttle fleet down before U.S. commercial space taxis can be developed and put into safe and reliable operation.

The meeting at the White House today was said to be cordial.

“The two spoke about the President’s plan for an ambitious and achievable space program, and the recent progress in Congress toward achieving that goal," a White House spokesperson said. "The President thanked Senator Glenn for his many years of leadership and they agreed to collaborate on seizing the opportunity to advance America’s future in space.”