Remembering Astronaut John Glenn

Astronaut John Glenn in front of the Friendship 7 capsule, in which he orbited Earth in 1962

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Astronaut John Glenn climbs into the Friendship 7 capsule in preparation for his flight to space in 1962

NASA

Senator John Glenn (right) with the space shuttle Discovery crew before the launch on October 29, 1998.

Keith Meyers/The New York Times/Redux Pictures

U.S. President Barack Obama awards former U.S. Senator John Glenn the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on May 29, 2012.

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Remembering Astronaut John Glenn

The famous astronaut died yesterday at age 95. He was an American hero of the space age.

BY SEAN PRICE

Millions of Americans are mourning the death of astronaut John Glenn, who passed away on Thursday. Glenn was 95. He rose to fame in 1962, when he became the first American to orbit (circle) Earth in a spaceship. The journey made him an American hero and the face of a successful new space program that made Americans proud. Glenn later served in Congress for 24 years as a U.S. senator from Ohio.

Glenn was known for his modesty, refusing to see himself as a hero. He preferred to focus on his work, saying, “If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people I’ve known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest.”

SOARING TO GREAT HEIGHTS

Glenn, born in 1921, grew up in the small town of New Concord, Ohio. He started his flying career as a fighter pilot for the U.S. Marine Corps. He won medals for his brave service in World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). After that, Glenn took a dangerous job as a Marine Corps test pilot, flying new planes to see if they were safe. In 1957, he set an air-speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in less than three-and-a-half hours.

In the late 1950s, a “space race” began between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. (That nation broke up into several countries in the early 1990s. Russia is the largest former Soviet republic.) Both countries wanted to be the first to send a human into space, including to the moon. In 1959, Glenn became one of seven test pilots chosen to take part in the U.S.’s first space program.

The Soviet Union won the race to get to space first. In 1961, it became the first nation to send a person into space when a Russian astronaut (called a cosmonaut), Yuri Gagarin, orbited Earth. But the space race was not over yet. Glenn’s chance to go into space came on February 20, 1962. By that time, another American, Alan B. Shepard, had flown in space, but he had not orbited Earth. Glenn’s flight was aired live on television and radio. Americans everywhere stopped to watch.

Glenn’s Friendship 7 capsule circled the planet three times. A faulty instrument led Glenn to believe the capsule might burn up on its return to Earth, but in the end, it splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.

Glenn’s flight showed that the U.S. space program was as good as the Soviet Union’s. He became an instant hero. Cities across the country threw parades for him, and President John F. Kennedy invited him to the White House.

A LIFE OF SERVICE

In 1974, Glenn was elected to Congress as a senator from Ohio. He would serve there until 1999 and was well-respected by other senators. Glenn also ran for president in 1984 as a Democrat, but his campaign did not get enough support and he dropped out of the race.

Glenn returned to space on October 29, 1998, when he was 77. He spent nine days on the space shuttle Discovery. Glenn went so that scientists could study the effects of space travel on older people. He holds the record for being the oldest person in space.

In recent years, Glenn’s achievements were recognized with awards like the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

“John spent his life breaking barriers,” said President Barack Obama on Thursday. The president also praised Glenn for inspiring future leaders in space exploration. Obama said they are the “scientists, engineers, and astronauts who will take us to Mars and beyond—not just to visit, but to stay.”

Have you ever dreamed on being an astronaut? Do you think it would be something you want to try? Why or why not