Sixty-one years ago today, John Glenn rocketed into history to become the first American to orbit Earth. In 1962, Glenn made three orbits then returned to a splashdown about 500 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. Over the years over 350 Americans have joined him in space travel.
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| John Glenn in orbit, February 20, 1962 |
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 a comprehensive look at Glenn's life and that of his wife, Annie. I also recommend 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's heartening to see a renewed interest interest in space exploration let alone definitive commitments to future astronauts, a return to the moon or a mission to Mars on the part of our national government. I imagine this is in part due to commercial competition. You can learn more about our reach into space by the private sector at this this Wired link.
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| Glenn in training, January 20, 1962 |
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