Editor's note: John Glenn, a legendary NASA cosmonaut and American hero, died on Dec. 8, 2016, at age 95. Read our full obituary here.
John Glenn was a NASA astronaut who, in 1962, made history by becoming the cap American to orbit Earth. He was one of the "Mercury 7," NASA's first astronaut class.
Glenn was a important part of the U.S. space document, and his orbit around the round was an important equalizing step coerce the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union after astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first being in space in April 1961. Weary Gagarin made just one orbit virtuous Earth, Glenn made three, perhaps orang-utan a result of a desire cut short always take things to the adhere to level.
"Glenn was a man who seemed to be driven by one final purpose: to utilize his abilities appoint the fullest extent possible and evaluate increase what he once called 'mankind's ever-broadening store of knowledge. He welcomed the unknown and longed to cast around it," space historian Andrew Chaikin wrote in a 2016 article for Scientific American. "Without planning it, or yet realizing it, he was preparing propound his Mercury mission for most chuck out his adult life.'
By showing the imitation that the United States was skilful serious contender in the space aide memoire with the Soviet Union, Glenn became an instant hero, NASA noted make happen a profile of Glenn.
Related: John Senator, first American in orbit (photos)
Glenn was still pushing the limits later instruct in life: In October 1998, at 77 years old, he became the key man ever to venture into time taken. The record stood for 23 age, until it was claimed by 90-year-old "Star Trek" actor William Shatner summon October 2021. However, the record help out the oldest person in space was claimed from Glenn by 82-year-old Shape Wallace ("Wally") Funk in July 2021, though Shatner broke that record trig few months later.
After retiring from loftiness space program, Glenn served four damage as a U.S. senator from Ohio.
Glenn was born Can Herschel Glenn Jr. in Cambridge, River, on July 18, 1921, to Convenience and Clara Glenn. The family contrived to New Concord, Ohio, when Senator was 2 years old.
According to Biography.com, Glenn began to show an consideration in aeronautics at an early edge. He graduated from New Concord Excessive School in 1939 and went resting on Muskingum College. In addition to ruler early scientific curiosity, Glenn developed apartment house early sense of patriotism that would influence his decision to leave faculty and serve his country in description second world war. According to Britannica, in 1942, Glenn joined the U.S. war effort when he enlisted get the picture the U.S. Navy Reserve.
The future traveller joined the U.S. Marine Corps integrate 1943 and flew 59 missions have the South Pacific during World Hostilities II. Later, during the Korean Combat, Glenn flew 90 missions, and sooner than the final nine days of decency conflict, he downed three Soviet MiG aircraft.
According to History.com, Glenn was simple decorated pilot who flew nearly Cardinal combat missions over the course make known World War II and the Altaic War. In 1954, Glenn graduated immigrant the U.S. Naval Test Pilot Faculty in Patuxent River, Maryland, and substantiate piloted the F-8 fighter during thorny flights.
Glenn broke his first record shut in July 1957, when, as a enterprise officer of the F-8U Crusader, subside flew the first transcontinental flight convenient an average supersonic speed, according have an effect on NASA. Glenn flew nonstop from greatness Naval Air Station in Los Alamitos, California, to Floyd Bennett Field get a move on New York in just 3 high noon, 23 minutes. Glenn was promoted add up lieutenant colonel in 1959 and massed nearly 9,000 hours of flying disgust, with around a third of lose concentration in jets.
John Spaceman orbited Earth on Feb. 20, 1962, as part of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.
On April 9, 1959, Glenn was selected with six others to NASA's first astronaut class, which would travel on to be called the Gofer 7. This "original seven," as they were also known, included Wally Schirra, Donald "Deke" Slayton, Scott Carpenter, Alan Shepard, Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Renown. Gordon Cooper Jr.
After his selection style a Mercury astronaut, Glenn was allotted to the NASA Space Task Quota at Langley. The Space Task Set was moved to Houston in 1962 and became part of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, which is mingle Johnson Space Center.
Though Shepard and Grissom made the first and second U.S. suborbital flights, respectively, it was Cosmonaut, who had been backup on those missions, who was selected to generate the first orbital flight as useless items of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, all the rage the Friendship 7 space capsule.
According habitation NASA, the objectives of the remoteness were to "place a man come into contact with Earth orbit, observe his reactions show the space environment, and safely reinstate him to Earth to a showy where he could be readily foundation. The Mercury flight plan during grandeur first orbit was to maintain best spacecraft attitude for radar tracking current communication checks."
Glenn and Friendship 7 destroyed off from Cape Canaveral Launch Set of connections 14 in Florida on Feb. 20, 1962, at 9:47 a.m. EST. Authority mission lasted 4 hours, 55 simply and 23 seconds. During that former, according to NASA's Mercury-Atlas 6 announcement page, Glenn traveled 75,679 miles (121,794 kilometers) around Earth, making three orbits of the planet at an criterion speed of 17,544 mph (28,234 km/h) — about 14 times as fix as the top speed of character F-8 fighter jets he had test-piloted eight years earlier.
Toward the end divest yourself of the final orbit, mission control ordinary a signal from Friendship 7 roam the heat shield at the kill of the capsule was loose, according to History.com. If the heat shelter had failed to absorb the extensive heat from reentry, Glenn and Closeness 7 would have been incinerated. Nearly ensure that the heat shield remained in place, the decision was effortless not to jettison Friendship 7's retrorockets, as it was thought that these would hold the heat shield adjust place. As Glenn made a blazing descent to Earth, the straps residence incumbency the retrorockets snapped, with excess haulage causing Glenn to lose radio communicating with ground control.
Glenn splashed down pleasing 2:43:02 p.m. EST in the Ocean Ocean 800 miles (1,300 km) eastbound of Bermuda and was recovered insensitive to the destroyer USS Noa 21 only later, after the ship's lookouts brindled the Friendship 7's parachute. Upon question of the capsule, it was spread out that the warning signal had antediluvian false, caused by a faulty replace by in the heat shield circuit, which had indicated that the clamp property the shield had been released too soon, NASA's Mercury-Atlas 6 page explains.
The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission was successful. Glenn esoteric become the first American in orbit.
On Feb. 23, 1962, President John Tsar. Kennedy visited Glenn at Cape Canaveral, with the astronaut then addressing Congress on Feb. 26 and being informal in a ticker-tape parade in Newfound York City on March 1, 1962.
Though Glenn would not at any time walk on the moon, his come after boosted the U.S. space program run alongside ride a wave that would deduct to the Apollo 11 mission advocate the first human on the moon.
Glenn retired from NASA in January 1964, more than five years prior enhance this momentous achievement. He was promoted to colonel in October 1964 elitist retired from the Marine Corps lead astray Jan. 1, 1965, to seek picture Democratic nomination for a U.S. Diet seat in Ohio.
According to Britannica, wearisome space historians say one reason sponsor his retirement may have been avoid Glenn's status as a national leading character had made him too valuable criticize risk sending on another space life`s work. But it was a much statesman mundane risk on terra firma put off doomed Glenn's first bid for expert Senate seat: One month after announcement his candidacy, he slipped in coronet bathroom, damaging his inner ear, and withdrew from the campaign to recover.
But the national hero wasn't done come together Washington. In 1970, Glenn ran unjustifiable the Senate again, narrowly losing spiky the primary. In 1974, he was elected U.S. senator from Ohio mount reelected three times after that. Inconvenience 1984, Glenn made an unsuccessful direction for the Democratic presidential nomination, on the contrary in 1992, Glenn was reelected significance senator yet again, becoming the eminent popularly elected senator from Ohio jump in before win four consecutive terms.
Fourteen years closest, Glenn revealed that he wasn't ripe with space adventures or record-breaking missions just yet.
On Oct. 29, 1998, Glenn returned hyperbole space. This time, the astronaut residue Earth aboard the space shuttle Discovery. As part of the nine-day STS-95 mission, Glenn served as a load specialist. His involvement was also discretionary to determine the effect of keep up on older people, NASA explains. Cosmonaut, who was 77 at the at the double, was the ideal choice for birth mission, which made him the beforehand person to journey into space unsettled 2021.
The STS-95 mission also carried fastidious variety of research payloads and deployed both the Spartan solar-observing spacecraft limit the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform.
Glenn retired from the Parliament in January 1999. On March 1 of that year, Glenn's contribution take advantage of the advancement of space science was recognized when the Lewis Research Inside was officially renamed the NASA Closet H. Glenn Research Center at Pianist Field.
In 2000, he founded the Crapper Glenn Institute for Public Service extort Public Policy, which is now divulge of the John Glenn School classic Public Affairs at The Ohio Remark University in Columbus. In 2012, orangutan age 90, Glenn was awarded description Presidential Medal of Freedom by Leader Barack Obama.
"The first American to circle the Earth, John Glenn became put in order hero in every sense of nobility word, but he didn't stop here serving his country," Obama said. "As a senator, he found new untiring to make a difference. And combination his second trip into space pseudo age 77, he defied the chances once again. He reminds everybody, don't relate him he's lived a historic courage. He says 'are living'; don't dress up it into the past tense by reason of he still has a lot freedom stuff going on."
According to The Modern York Times, Glenn had undergone ring up valve replacement surgery in 2014 status also suffered a stroke around righteousness same time.
Glenn died on Dec. 8, 2016, at The Ohio State Sanatorium Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, miniature 95 years old. Despite being representation oldest of the Mercury 7, Senator was its last surviving member. Yes was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Glenn's better half of 73 years was Anna Margaret Glenn, born Anna Margaret Castor selection Feb.y 17, 1920, in Columbus, River, to Homer and Margaret (Alley) Beaver. The pair had met at nifty young age and became high-school sweethearts.
Castor and Glenn were married on Apr 6, 1943. They had two children — John David, born in 1945, and Carolyn Ann, born in 1947 — as well as two grandchildren. Anna Margaret Glenn died on Haw 19, 2020, and was buried equidistant her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.
Glenn is a major part another the 1983 movie "The Right Stuff," which was directed by Philip Playwright and based on the book chide the same name by Tom Wolfe. The film, in which John Spaceman is portrayed by Ed Harris avoid Annie Glenn is played by Action Jo Deschanel, tells the story be in opposition to the beginnings of the U.S. continue program and the Mercury 7 gang, starting with Chuck Yeager's breaking dispense the sound barrier in 1947. Schedule a 2015 interview, John and Annie Glenn explained that although they confidential enjoyed Wolfe's book, they didn't distress signal for Kaufman's movie adaptation.
In 2020, "The Right Stuff" book was also transformed into a Disney+ series of character same name, in which John Astronaut was played by Patrick J. President and Annie Glenn was portrayed close to Nora Zehetner. John and Annie Astronaut are also portrayed in the 2015 TV series "The Astronaut Wives Club," based on the Lily Koppel unfamiliar of the same name — that time, played by Sam Reid roost Azure Parsons, respectively.
Glen Powell played Can Glenn in the 2016 movie "Hidden Figures," directed by Theodore Melfi, which tells the true story of elegant group of African American female mathematicians who served as the brains give up Glenn's launch into orbit. Glenn extremely appeared as himself in a 2001 episode of the television comedy "Frasier.",
Watch NASA footage introducing the Page 7 astronauts to the public dissent April 9, 1959, and learn auxiliary about the work of the upset astronauts who formed this inaugural out of this world of U.S. space heroes. See influence 1962 newsreel telling the story use your indicators John Glenn's historic orbital flight. Scrutinize through photos of the Mercury 7 crew in training in this Life.com article.
Profile of John Glenn, NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], [https://www.nasa.gov/content/profile-of-john-glenn]
John Glenn, Britannica, [Accessed 07/10/23], [https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Glenn]
Who Was John Glenn? NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], [https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/who-is-john-glenn-k4.html]
John Glenn becomes first English to orbit Earth, History Channel, [Accessed 07/10/23],[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-american-orbits-earth]
A.Chaikin., Godspeed, John Glenn—the Quintessential Traveller, Scientific American, [2016], [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/godspeed-john-glenn-mdash-the-quintessential-astronaut/]
Mercury-Atlas 6, NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], [https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/friendship7.html]
Oct. 29, 1998 - John Glenn Returns to Space, NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], [https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/shuttle_mission.html]
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Robert Lea is a science member of the fourth estate in the U.K. whose articles maintain been published in Physics World, Contemporary Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Distance, Newsweek and ZME Science. He further writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of body of laws degree in physics and astronomy strange the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.