We honor today John Glenn, the first American man in space. Born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, he attended New Concord High School and then Muskingum College, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry. He learned how to fly while in college, and became an Aviation Cadet. He did more aeronautic training in Iowa City, Kansas, Texas and Camp Kearny, California with the US Marine Corps. During World War II he was a fighter pilot with 56 different missions, all in the Pacific Ocean, between Midway and the Marshall Islands. He married Annie Castor on April 6, 1943 and they had 2 children, John David and Carolyn Ann. They were married for 73 years. John was also active during the Korean War, and in 1957, he took part in the first trans-continental flight between California and New York, which took 3 hours and 45 minutes. When NASA was born, John applied along with 508 other scientists. Among the 7 chosen for the Mercury project, was John Glenn. On February 20, 1962, Friendship 7 lifted off from Cape Canaveral led by John, and circled the earth’s orbit 3 times, a voyage that took 4 hours and 55 minutes and travelled 75,679 miles, making him the first man in space. When he retired from NASA, John entered politics and was elected to the US Senate in 1974 and returned to the Senate in 1980, 1986, 1992 and retired in 1999. In 1998, on October 29, John flew again in space, this time with the Space Shuttle Discovery at the age of 77! This voyage lasted 9 days and he was the photographer and videographer of the mission. John Glenn kept his pilot’s license until the age of 90, and he died on December 8, 2016, aged 95. He is buried in the national cemetery in Arlington. We honor him today, as he would have been 100 today.
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