Perth to Light Way for Glenn

This city plans to turn on its lights for U.S. astronaut John Glenn later this month--just as it did when he became the first American to orbit Earth 36 years ago.

Perth became known as “the City of Lights” after its people spontaneously switched on their lights to salute Glenn on his three-orbit mission in 1962.

They will be asked to do it about 12:32 a.m. on Oct. 31 when Glenn, now 77 and a member of the U.S. Senate, passes the city on his second space mission, aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

Western Australia state Premier Richard Court said Friday that NASA advised his government of the best time to re-create the 1962 salute.