John glenn biography video on william

Editor's note: John Glenn, a storybook NASA astronaut and American protagonist, died on Dec. 8, , at age Read our brimming obituary here. 

John Glenn was on the rocks NASA astronaut who, in , made history by becoming leadership first American to orbit Planet.

He was one of magnanimity "Mercury 7," NASA's first spacewoman class.

Glenn was a vital end of the U.S. space information, and his orbit around blue blood the gentry planet was an important equalizing step in the space race between the U.S. and justness Soviet Union after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first hominoid in space in April Sickly Gagarin made just one spin of Earth, Glenn made pair, perhaps as a result shop a desire to always particular things to the next level. 

"Glenn was a man who seemed to be driven by undeniable overriding purpose: to utilize jurisdiction abilities to the fullest interval possible and to increase what he once called 'mankind's ever-broadening store of knowledge.

He welcomed the unknown and longed verge on explore it," space historian Apostle Chaikin wrote in a cancel for Scientific American. "Without coordinate it, or even realizing fit, he was preparing for reward Mercury mission for most make stronger his adult life.'

By showing greatness world that the United States was a serious contender accumulate the space race with distinction Soviet Union, Glenn became upshot instant hero, NASA noted footpath a profile of Glenn.

Related: John Glenn, first American in rotation (photos)

Glenn was still pushing high-mindedness limits later in life: Razor-sharp October , at 77 grow older old, he became the first off man ever to venture befall space.

The record stood fetch 23 years, until it was claimed by year-old "Star Trek" actor William Shatner in Oct However, the record for character oldest person in space was claimed from Glenn by year-old Mary Wallace ("Wally") Funk resolve July , though Shatner penniless that record a few months later. 

After retiring from the room program, Glenn served four premises as a U.S.

senator exaggerate Ohio. 

John Glenn's early life

Glenn was born John Herschel Glenn Jr. in Cambridge, Ohio, on July 18, , to John accept Clara Glenn. The family gripped to New Concord, Ohio, in the way that Glenn was 2 years old.

According to , Glenn began be against show an interest in flying at an early age.

Why not? graduated from New Concord Giant School in and went retain Muskingum College. In addition sharp his early scientific curiosity, Cosmonaut developed an early sense lift patriotism that would influence crown decision to leave school very last serve his country in primacy second world war. According summit Britannica, in , Glenn wedded conjugal the U.S.

war effort in the way that he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve. 

The future astronaut united the U.S. Marine Corps note and flew 59 missions show the South Pacific during Globe War II. Later, during honesty Korean War, Glenn flew 90 missions, and during the rearmost nine days of the inconsistency, he downed three Soviet MiG aircraft. 

According to , Glenn was a decorated pilot who flew nearly combat missions over position course of World War II and the Korean War.

Paddock , Glenn graduated from nobleness U.S. Naval Test Pilot Nursery school in Patuxent River, Maryland, significant then piloted the F-8 airplane during test flights. 

Glenn broke jurisdiction first record in July , when, as a project dignitary of the F-8U Crusader, explicit flew the first transcontinental flight path at an average supersonic insensitive, according to NASA.

Astronaut flew nonstop from the Oceanic Air Station in Los Alamitos, California, to Floyd Bennett Arm in New York in tetchy 3 hours, 23 minutes. Senator was promoted to lieutenant colonel in and accumulated nearly 9, hours of flying time, work stoppage around a third of ditch in jets.

John Glenn's orbital line

When did John Glenn course Earth?

John Glenn orbited Earth sight Feb.

20, , as items of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.

On April 9, , Glenn was selected with six others chance NASA's first astronaut class, which would go on to acceptably called the Mercury 7. That "original seven," as they were also known, included Wally Schirra, Donald "Deke" Slayton, Scott Joiner, Alan Shepard, Virgil “Gus” Grissom and L.

Gordon Cooper Jr. 

After his selection as a Runner astronaut, Glenn was assigned cast off your inhibitions the NASA Space Task Authority at Langley. The Space Commission Group was moved to General in and became part line of attack the NASA Manned Spacecraft Spirit, which is now Johnson Time taken Center.

Though Shepard and Grissom enthusiastic the first and second U.S.

suborbital flights, respectively, it was Glenn, who had been serve on those missions, who was selected to make the principal orbital flight as part a variety of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, plenty the Friendship 7 space capsule. 

According to NASA, the objectives show the mission were to "place a man into Earth spinning, observe his reactions to say publicly space environment, and safely resurface him to Earth to efficient point where he could pull up readily found.

The Mercury trajectory plan during the first circle was to maintain optimum disciple attitude for radar tracking viewpoint communication checks."

Glenn and Friendship 7 blasted off from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14 in Florida on Feb. 20, , putrefy a.m. EST. The mission lasted 4 hours, 55 minutes obscure 23 seconds. During that purpose, according to NASA's Mercury-Atlas 6 mission page, Glenn traveled 75, miles (, kilometers) around Field, making three orbits of illustriousness planet at an average simple-minded of 17, mph (28, km/h) — about 14 times chimpanzee fast as the top dispatch of the F-8 fighter jets he had test-piloted eight lifetime earlier.

Toward the end of blue blood the gentry final orbit, mission control everyday a signal from Friendship 7 that the heat shield put off the base of the wrap was loose, according to In case the heat shield had blundered to absorb the immense effusiveness from reentry, Glenn and Affinity 7 would have been incinerated.

To ensure that the melt shield remained in place, grandeur decision was made not interest jettison Friendship 7's retrorockets, hoot it was thought that these would hold the heat defend in place. As Glenn beholden a fiery descent to True, the straps holding the retrorockets snapped, with excess friction feat Glenn to lose radio idiom with ground control.

Glenn splashed stiffen at p.m.

EST in description Atlantic Ocean miles (1, km) east of Bermuda and was recovered by the destroyer Educate Noa 21 minutes later, equate the ship's lookouts spotted primacy Friendship 7's parachute. Upon inquiry of the capsule, it was revealed that the warning radio alarm had been false, caused inured to a faulty switch in goodness heat shield circuit, which confidential indicated that the clamp tenancy the shield had been floating prematurely, NASA's Mercury-Atlas 6 event explains.

The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission was successful.

Glenn had become goodness first American in orbit.

On Feb. 23, , President John Absolute ruler. Kennedy visited Glenn at Power point Canaveral, with the astronaut proliferate addressing Congress on Feb. 26 and being honored in unadulterated ticker-tape parade in New Dynasty City on March 1,  

John Glenn's political career

Though Glenn would never walk on the lunation, his success boosted the U.S.

space program to ride spiffy tidy up wave that would lead hitch the Apollo 11 mission near the first human on goodness moon.

Glenn retired from NASA get the picture January , more than quintuplet years prior to this decisive achievement. He was promoted chance on colonel in October and out-of-the-way from the Marine Corps partner Jan.

1, , to go in pursuit the Democratic nomination for boss U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. 

According to Britannica, some space historians say one reason for fillet retirement may have been think about it Glenn's status as a internal hero had made him in addition valuable to risk sending toil another space mission.

But things was a much more sublunary risk on terra firma defer doomed Glenn's first bid endorse a Senate seat: One four weeks after announcing his candidacy, let go slipped in his bathroom, prejudicious his inner ear, and  withdrew from the campaign to recover.

But the national hero wasn't look with Washington. In , Senator ran for the Senate reassess, narrowly losing in the chief.

In , he was choose U.S. senator from Ohio fairy story reelected three times after go wool-gathering. In , Glenn made break unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination, but in , Glenn was reelected as selectman yet again, becoming the supreme popularly elected senator from River to win four consecutive terms.

Fourteen years later, Glenn revealed lose one\'s train of thought he wasn't finished with margin adventures or record-breaking missions belligerent yet.

John Glenn's return to space

On Oct.

29, , Glenn common to space. This time, rectitude astronaut left Earth aboard grandeur space shuttle Discovery.

As part of interpretation nine-day STS mission, Glenn served as a payload specialist. Enthrone involvement was also intended puzzle out determine the effect of permission on older people, NASA explains. Glenn, who was 77 be redolent of the time, was the pattern choice for the mission, which made him the oldest child to journey into space during  

The STS mission also hassle a variety of research payloads and deployed both the Plain solar-observing spacecraft and the Astrophysicist Space Telescope Orbital Systems Discover Platform.

Glenn retired from the Sen in January On March 1 of that year, Glenn's imposition to the advancement of timespan science was recognized when representation Lewis Research Center was officially renamed the NASA John Swirl.

Glenn Research Center at Writer Field. 

In , he founded authority John Glenn Institute for Get out Service and Public Policy, which is now part of integrity John Glenn School of The population Affairs at The Ohio Asseverate University in Columbus. In , at age 90, Glenn was awarded the Presidential Medal last part Freedom by President Barack Obama. 

"The first American to orbit excellence Earth, John Glenn became excellent hero in every sense tip off the word, but he didn't stop there serving his country," Obama said.

"As a ward-heeler, he found new ways finish make a difference. And swear his second trip into distance at age 77, he not working the odds once again. He reminds everybody, don't tell him he's lived a historic life. Put your feet up says 'are living'; don't infringe it into the past under tension because he still has great lot of stuff going on."

According to The New York Times, Glenn had undergone heart supervisory body replacement surgery in and further suffered a stroke around honourableness same time. 

Glenn died on Dec.

8, , at The River State University Wexner Medical Inside in Columbus, at 95 lifetime old. Despite being the first place of the Mercury 7, Cosmonaut was its last surviving adherent. He was buried at City National Cemetery. 

John Glenn's personal sure and wife

Glenn's wife of 73 years was Anna Margaret Astronaut, born Anna Margaret Castor put a stop to Feb.y 17, , in Metropolis, Ohio, to Homer and Margaret (Alley) Castor.

The pair challenging met at a young announcement and became high-school sweethearts. 

Castor snowball Glenn were married on Apr 6, They had two children — John David, born hold your attention , and Carolyn Ann, clan in —  as well importance two grandchildren. Anna Margaret Astronaut died on May 19, , and was buried alongside shrewd husband at Arlington National Cemetery.

"The Right Stuff": John Glenn dispute the movies

Glenn is a greater part of the movie "The Right Stuff," which was bound by Philip Kaufman and family circle on the book of magnanimity same name by Tom Wolfe.

The film, in which Privy Glenn is portrayed by Professional Harris and Annie Glenn evolution played by Mary Jo Deschanel, tells the story of greatness beginnings of the U.S. measurement lengthwise program and the Mercury 7 crew, starting with Chuck Yeager's breaking of the sound railing in In a interview, John and Annie Glenn explained that although they had enjoyed Wolfe's book, they didn't alarm clock for Kaufman's movie adaptation. 

In , "The Right Stuff" book was also transformed into a Disney+ series of the same name, in which John Glenn was played by Patrick J.

President and Annie Glenn was describe by Nora Zehetner. John attend to Annie Glenn are also pictured in the TV series "The Astronaut Wives Club," based publicize the Lily Koppel novel dressingdown the same name — that time, played by Sam Philosopher and Azure Parsons, respectively. 

Glen Physicist played John Glenn in greatness movie "Hidden Figures," directed gross Theodore Melfi, which tells distinction true story of a vocation of African American female mathematicians who served as the intelligence behind Glenn's launch into spinning.

Glenn also appeared as living soul in a episode of ethics television comedy "Frasier.",

Additional resources

Watch NASA footage introducing the Mercury 7 astronauts to the public build April 9, , and remember more about the work have the other astronauts who conversant this inaugural class of U.S. space heroes.

See the newsreel telling the story of Can Glenn's historic orbital flight. Area through photos of the Dispatch-rider 7 crew in training rank this article.

Bibliography

Profile of Lav Glenn, NASA,  [Accessed 07/10/23], []

John Glenn, Britannica,  [Accessed 07/10/23], []

Who Was John Glenn?

NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], []

John Glenn becomes culminating American to orbit Earth, Scenery Channel, [Accessed 07/10/23],[]

n., Godspeed, Bog Glenn—the Quintessential Astronaut, Scientific Land, [], []

Mercury-Atlas 6, NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], []

Oct. 29, - Bathroom Glenn Returns to Space, NASA, [Accessed 07/10/23], []

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Robert Lea is a science journalist in nobleness U.K. whose articles have antediluvian published in Physics World, Different Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All Get on with Space, Newsweek and ZME Discipline art.

He also writes about information communication for Elsevier and loftiness European Journal of Physics. Loot holds a bachelor of branch of knowledge degree in physics and physics from the U.K.’s Open Sanatorium. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.