Anthea Jeffrey and the South African Institute of Race Relations say their research suggests that Red October and the EFF represent extremes in politics. They say race is not likely to influence most South Africans when they vote next year.

Our thanks to Thuso Khumalo for this report from Johannesburg.

As It Is is coming to from VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

Remembering John Glenn's 1998 Return to Space - at Age 77

Former Astronaut Scott Carpenter: “Godspeed, John Glenn.” [Countdown to launch]

Now, we travel back in time to October 29, 1998. On that day, John Glenn became America’s oldest astronaut at 77 years of age. He flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery as a payload specialist.

NASA Announcer [gives countdown, then]: “Booster ignition and liftoff of Discovery with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one American legend.”

The American space agency says the former Senator – and pioneer astronaut - took part in experiments on the process of aging.

John Glenn spent nine days in space. During that time, the shuttle orbited Earth 134 times.

The 1998 flight was very different from his first space flight. On February 20th, 1962, he made one of history’s most important flights. He became the first person to orbit the Earth.

[Radio transmission by John Glenn from Mercury capsule in 1962]: