'Godspeed, John Glenn'

Glenn in orbit, February 20, 1962

Fifty years ago tomorrow (February 20), John Glenn rocketed into history to become the first American to orbit Earth. There was a memorable gathering Saturday at Florida's Kennedy Space Center to honor the unforgettable event and the people who made it so. Glenn, fellow Mercury astronaut, Scott Carpenter, and scores of support staff who made it happen toured  Launch Complex 14 recalling the momentous day. In 1962, Glenn made three orbits then returned to a splashdown about 500 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. Over the years 330 Americans have joined him in space travel.

The NASA website has a fine multimedia presentation on Mercury-Atlas 6, the mission that put Glenn and his spacecraft, Friendship 7, into orbit. Wikipedia has a page on the mission and some excellent recommendations for further reading online. To commemorate tomorrow's event, The Ohio State University has prepared an excellent illustrated biography and description of the flight. OTR also recommends The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe's outstanding 1979 book on the formative days of the American space program and the seven astronauts - including Glenn - selected for the Mercury program. 

When we look back at the American space program, this achievement was one of the nation's proudest moments. It stands in harsh contrast to the present when or leadership seems to show little interest in space exploration let alone definitive commitments to future astronauts, a return to the moon or a mission to Mars. All hope is not lost however, as our inventive reach into space by the private sector is a near-term reality.