Excerpts from John Glenn: a Memoir by with Nick Taylor John Glenn
Excerpts from John Glenn: A Memoir
Published in 1999
John Herschel Glenn Jr. (1921–) has accomplished more in one lifetime than many people could achieve in three. First a combat pilot in World War II (1939–45) and the Korean War (1950–53), Glenn was named one of the Mercury 7, the original group of men chosen to be American astronauts, in 1959. On February 20, 1962, Glenn became a national hero when he successfully orbited Earth three times in the space capsule Friendship 7 before returning safely. Thirty-six years later—after successful careers as a businessman and a U.S. senator—Glenn returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery, at the age of seventy-seven, becoming the oldest astronaut to fly a mission.
After completing training as a fighter-bomber pilot, Glenn married his high school sweetheart, Annie, and flew missions in World War II and the Korean War. Glenn then became a test pilot, and after two years of training and experience, was commissioned to oversee the development of new fighter planes. Under Project Bullet, Glenn flew the F8U Crusader across the United States, making the first transcontinental supersonic flight in three hours and twenty-three minutes.
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