John Herschel Glenn Jr.
1921-
American Astronaut
John Glenn achieved two astronautic milestones at different points in his career. In 1962 he was the first American to orbit around Earth, and 36 years later he was the oldest astronaut to fly on a space mission. The first accomplishment bolstered a fledgling space program, reassuring the American public and validating scientists' and engineers' innovations. Glenn's second success renewed Americans' flagging interest in the possibilities of space travel, especially as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget was severely slashed. This flight also recognized that American demographics were reflecting a growing population of senior citizens.
Born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, Glenn grew up in New Concord. His parents, John Hershel and Clara (Sproat) Glenn, emphasized values of community, patriotism, and duty. Glenn graduated from New Concord High School, which was later renamed John Glenn High School in his honor. In 1939 he enrolled at Muskingum College and studied chemistry. In addition to classes, Glenn took flying lessons and earned a private pilot's license. When the United States entered World War II, Glenn joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program at the University of Iowa and then was commissionedin the Marine Corps. He married his childhood sweetheart, Anna Margaret Castor, in 1943.
John Glenn. (NASA. Reproduced by permission.)As a member of Marine Fighter Squadron 155, Glenn flew 59 combat missions in the war zone around the Marshall Islands. After World War II, Glenn performed reconnaissance missions over northern China and Guam. During the Korean War, Glenn completed 90 combat missions and shot down three enemy jets. Glenn then trained at the Naval Test Pilot School before being assigned to the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C. He flew a jet on the first supersonic transcontinental trip from Los Angeles to New York City in three hours 23 minutes on July 16, 1957.
When the Soviet satellite Sputnik orbited Earth in 1957, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (the predecessor of NASA) and the Navy focused on developing manned spacecraft, and Glenn volunteered as a test subject for the high-speed centrifuge to gauge the stresses humans might encounter in space. In April 1959 Glenn joined six other men to become America's first astronauts as part of the Mercury program. Although he hoped to become the first American in space, Glenn instead served as the backup astronaut for Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom when they underwent their suborbital flights. On February 20, 1962, Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth. His spacecraft, theFriendship 7, completed three orbits in five hours. Glenn tested communications with tracking stations and system controls. Physicians had compiled detailed reports about his physical status and doctors assessed his vital signs during the flight.
Glenn became an international hero because television and radio coverage increased awareness of his mission. He received such honors as the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Glenn assisted in the development of spacecraft for NASA's Apollo program, but President John F. Kennedy, Jr., ordered NASA officials not to assign Glenn to another flight because he considered Glenn a viable political candidate. Glenn retired from NASA in January 1964 and began campaigning. He won a Senate seat on his second attempt and served a total of four terms. He was a presidential candidate in 1983 but withdrew before the party's national convention.
Wanting to return to space, Glenn initiated talks with NASA administrator Daniel Goldin about conducting geriatric investigations aboard the space shuttle, suggesting that researchers could compare data collected on him in 1961 and 1998 and evaluate how space travel affects aging. Glenn devised experiments and NASA assigned him to a shuttle flight as a payload specialist. That mission flew in October 1998, reinforcing Glenn's role as an American icon, one who demonstrated technological prowess through mastery of space travel. Glenn published his autobiography, John Glenn: A Memoir, in 1999.
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