Sen. Garn Finally Gets Some TV Time

Sen. Jake Garn finally got a little air time Sunday, appearing on television from the space shuttle Discovery wired up for a variety of medical experiments. He described his voyage as “great.”

The 52-year-old Utah Republican, flying as a congressional observer, had not been heard from Friday and Saturday as the crew launched two satellites. But during a regularly scheduled telecast from the Discovery’s lower deck on Sunday, he posed for about a minute with electrodes dotting his forehead.

“We’re having a lot of fun up here trying to learn what happens to the human body in zero gravity,” said Garn, the first elected official to fly in space.

“I’ve been doing a number of space motion-sickness tests the last few days. Today the electrodes on my head are to do an electroencephalogram to look at the brain waves to see what effect there is.”

Garn’s wife, Kathleen, who watched the telecast at the Kennedy Space Center, said: “I knew sooner or later we’d hear from him. It looks like he’s having a super time.”

Meanwhile, Dr. M. Rhea Seddon, 37, a physician, held an ultrasound sensor to Garn’s chest to monitor his cardiovascular system.

“It’s a big heart,” Garn said. “I’ve been trying to convince my wife and family of that for years.”