ASTRONAUT GLENN READY FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn, Payload Specialist No. 2, arrived for his launch countdown Monday -- about an hour late because of airplane problems that left one crewmate temporarily stranded across the state.

He and his six fellow astronauts left Houston earlier in the day in five T-38 training jets and stopped for refueling at Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle. A battery problem with one of the jets left astronaut Scott Parazynski waiting for a lift at Tyndall.

The rest of the crew took off for Kennedy Space Center and a televised gala welcome without him.

At the Cape, Commander Curtis Brown Jr. thanked the crowd of about 150 reporters for waiting and then invited each astronaut to make brief remarks.

When Glenn's turn came, he introduced himself as "PS2 on this flight," a reference to his position as the bottom man on Discovery's crew, and said he was "very glad to be here."

"One word on this whole thing," said the 77-year-old Glenn. "I have been pleasantly surprised at the outpouring of interest in this flight, and it's really gratifying to see people get so fired up about the space program again."

It is Glenn's participation in Thursday's launch that has created a level of media attention not seen at the Cape in more than a decade. About 3,500 journalists have been accredited for the launch.

Before the astronauts greeted their families, Brown led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to crewman Stephen Robinson, who turned 43 Monday. But only the astronauts and a few seasoned space reporters knew his name; everyone else hummed when it came time to sing "Steve."

"I hope these guys fly better than they sing," joked Robinson.

As soon as the photo session was over, Glenn strode straight to his wife, Annie, and hugged her hard. Then he embraced his daughter, Lyn, and son, David.

Arm in arm, the family posed for group pictures. Glenn had to stand eight feet away from his 13-year-old grandson Zachary, who was not permitted near him because of a preflight quarantine. His other grandson, 16-year-old Daniel, was due to arrive Monday night.

When Parazynski arrived at the Cape 1 1/2 hours after his crewmates, all the media were gone and only a few NASA employees were there to greet him.

Glenn, who was the first American to orbit the Earth back in 1962, was given a sendoff from Houston along with his crewmates by Defense Secretary William Cohen.

"We can say with confidence, `Houston, we have no problems,"' Cohen said. "To the crew, let me say: Godspeed, Discovery."

NASA meteorologists, meanwhile, kept a close watch on Hurricane Mitch out in the Caribbean. Although the powerful storm was moving away from Florida, forecasters worried it might result in high wind for the launch.