John Glenn has died at the age of 95. He was a US astronaut and US senator that served the state of Ohio.Glenn was the first American to successfully orbit the earth with NASA in 1962, circling the earth three times. He was the third American to go into space, and the fifth human being ever to leave earth aboard a spacecraft.
He is known for saying upon entering space, "Zero G and I feel fine." Glenn had a decorated career, that included winning the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. He died Thursday afternoon at the Ohio State Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio where friends and family said their last goodbyes. Glenn is survived by his wife, Annie. The pair were married 73 years. Robert Kennedy nudged Glenn to run for Senate in 1964, eyeing Glenn's service record in the Navy, Marines, in addition to his time with NASA. Glenn would go on to serve in the US Senate representing Ohio for 25 years, serving from 1974 until 1999.
Mr. Glenn was reluctant to talk about himself as a hero. “I figure I’m the same person who grew up in New Concord, Ohio, and went off through the years to participate in a lot of events of importance,” he said in an interview years later. “What got a lot of attention, I think, was the tenuous times we thought we were living in back in the Cold War. I don’t think it was about me. All this would have happened to anyone who happened to be selected for that flight.” www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/john-glenn-dies.html
The word hero gets thrown around a fair bit, but I think its fair to say for someone like John Glenn it applies. RIP
Is this the guy that was in the Star Trek movie First Contact who was supposed to go to warp speed?
Just kidding. John Glenn was a hero because of his bravery.
Although, the first person in space was a Russian Yuri Gagarin, which I was surprised from my visit to the Smithsonian, that I had forgotten and confused with John Glenn.
As I sit in hospital and just heard that my friend John Glenn has passed away, I feel fortunate to be recovering from my own illness, but saddened that we lost another space pioneer and world icon.
I first met John Glenn in 1953 when I was a fighter pilot in South Korea in the 16th squadron and the 51st fighter group. He was the Ops officer of the 25th squadron in the 51st fighter group. The next time I learned about him he flew of course on his first orbital flight and then when I reported as a NASA astronaut in 1963 and started training in 1964 we both became elders in the same church in Houston, TX.
Not long after that he left NASA and of course pursued a career in politics while I went on to do my Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 missions. When he was 77 he flew again on a shuttle mission and became the oldest to fly in space. I saw him at various memorials and astronaut gatherings over the years and I believe the last time we saw each other in person was at Neil Armstrong’s memorial at the National Cathedral although we spoke by phone and corresponded by email since then.
I was very saddened to hear the John was ill over the past year. Since he was the last remaining Mercury astronaut, I was always lobbying him to encourage the Apollo guys to do regular reunions annually since we’re not getting any younger. With the news today I’m saddened again to hear that we have lost the pioneer of space flight for the United States, second only to Yuri Gagarin, and he will always go down in history as certainly one of the most influential officers in the Marine Corps and of course as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. I am very sorry that he has departed us with his wisdom. I join that crowd of people and the entire nation and the world in paying homage to his service.
In elementary school, my friend used to pretend that his grandfather was John Glenn. I was always in on it. For years, we kept this charade going and most believed us. Although I have not seen this friend in years, I know that John Glenn will always hold special place in our hearts.
John Glenn dead at 95
