Glenn, Hawking team up for NASA

Published July 31, 2008 4:00am ET



Former Sen. John Glenn was back on the Hill on Wednesday to offer a pitch for his previous profession: astronaut.


Glenn was adamant that we should continue to invest in space, but he criticized President Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration plan as “penny-wise but … pound-foolish.”


Astrophysicist and best-selling author Stephen Hawking testified remotely. To put NASA’s accomplishments into perspective, Hawking compared it to Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America and all the great findings that resulted. “Just think, we would not have KFC or the Big Mac without Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World,” Hawking said.


And speaking of spacey, that was Thurston Moore, founding member of avant-garde noise rockers Sonic Youth, making the rounds in D.C. Tuesday. Moore, who has a new book out called “No Wave,” signed copies at Politics & Prose before giving a talk and signing again at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.