John Glenn

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth. He flew around the Earth three times in 1962.

Before joining NASA, Glenn was a skilled fighter pilot in World War II, the Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War.

Glenn was one of the Mercury Seven military test pilots chosen by NASA in 1959 to be the nation's first astronauts. On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission. He became the first American to orbit the Earth. He was the third American and the fifth person ever to be in space.

After leaving NASA, Glenn served as a U.S. senator from Ohio from 1974 to 1999. In 1998, when he was 77 years old, he flew into space again on the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-95 mission. This made him the oldest person to enter Earth orbit and the only person to fly in both the Mercury and the Space Shuttle programs. Glenn died at the age of 95 on December 8, 2016.

Early life and education

John Herschel Glenn Jr. was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio. His family later moved to New Concord, Ohio, where he grew up. As a child, John loved flying and built model airplanes from balsa wood kits. He went to New Concord High School, where he played football, basketball, and tennis.

After high school, John studied chemistry at Muskingum College and played football. He also earned a private pilot license in 1941. He did not finish his last year of college, but his love for flying kept growing.

Military career

When the United States entered World War II, John Glenn left college to join the military. He trained as a pilot in Iowa and Kansas, then went to Texas for more training. He became a Marine officer and flew in battles in the Pacific. He earned awards for his bravery.

During the Korean War, Glenn flew many missions and faced danger. He also flew with the U.S. Air Force and had his first wins against enemy planes. His time as a pilot showed his skill and courage. Later, he became a test pilot, flying new airplanes and setting a record for the fastest flight across the United States.

NASA career

Selection

Main article: Mercury Seven

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. This surprised America. In response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower started the Space Race. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was created in 1958 to work on space technology. One of its first projects was Project Mercury, which aimed to send a person around Earth orbit and bring them back safely.

Glenn worked as a pilot and learned about new space news, like the X-15 rocket plane. He helped test spaceflight ideas. Because of his experience, NASA asked him to help plan their spacecraft. NASA chose astronauts from military test pilots. Glenn was one of the few who met the requirements. He did very well in tests and was chosen as one of the seven astronauts on April 6. They were announced on April 9, 1959.

Friendship 7 flight

Main article: Mercury-Atlas 6

Glenn was chosen to be the first American to orbit the Earth in Mercury-Atlas 6. After many delays, Friendship 7 launched on February 20, 1962. During the flight, Glenn had to control the spacecraft himself because of a problem. The flight went safely, and Glenn landed after almost five hours. He traveled around the Earth three times, becoming the first American to orbit our planet. His flight made Americans feel proud during the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Political campaigning

1964 Senate campaign

Main article: 1964 United States Senate election in Ohio

When John Glenn was 42, he was one of the older astronauts. In 1962, a lawyer named Robert F. Kennedy suggested that Glenn run for the U.S. Senate in Ohio. Glenn left NASA in 1964 to run for the Senate, but he fell and hurt himself. Because of this, he could not campaign and dropped out of the race.

1970 Senate campaign

Main article: 1970 United States Senate election in Ohio

In 1970, the Senate seat in Ohio was open because the current senator decided not to run again. A businessman named Howard Metzenbaum had more support and money than Glenn. Glenn lost the election to Metzenbaum.

1974 Senate campaign

Main article: 1974 United States Senate election in Ohio

In 1974, Glenn decided to run for the Senate again. He spoke about supporting veterans and families. He won the election and began his career as a senator.

1976 vice presidential consideration

In 1976, when Jimmy Carter was likely to become the Democratic candidate for president, some people thought Glenn would be a good choice for vice president. Carter chose someone else for the job.

1980 Senate campaign

Main article: 1980 United States Senate election in Ohio

Glenn easily won his reelection campaign in 1980.

1984 presidential campaign

Glenn decided to run for president in 1984. He announced his campaign in his old high school gym. He dropped out of the race in March 1984.

1986 Senate campaign

Main article: 1986 United States Senate election in Ohio

In 1986, Glenn faced a challenge and won the election.

1992 Senate campaign

Main article: 1992 United States Senate election in Ohio

In 1992, Glenn ran for the Senate again. He won the election.

Senate career

Committee on Governmental Affairs

John Glenn wanted to join two important groups when he became a senator: the Government Operations Committee (later called the Committee on Governmental Affairs) and the Foreign Relations Committee. He joined the Government Operations Committee right away and waited for a spot on the Foreign Relations Committee. In 1977, Glenn wanted to lead a smaller group inside the Governmental Affairs Committee that focused on energy and nuclear issues. To do this, he also had to lead another group that handled the U.S. Postal Service. Even though this was not popular, Glenn agreed to do it.

One of Glenn’s goals as a senator was to help create better environmental rules. He introduced ideas about energy to address energy problems in the 1970s. He also worked on laws to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and was the main writer of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978.

From 1987 to 1995, Glenn led the Committee on Governmental Affairs. During this time, he learned about safety and environmental issues at nuclear weapons sites across the country. He asked for investigations and held meetings to discuss these problems. He also worked to get money to clean up old nuclear waste sites.

Glenn also tried to reduce wasteful spending in the government. He created laws to make sure large government agencies had chief financial officers. He also wrote a bill to add inspectors general to federal agencies to help find waste and fraud. Additionally, he started the Great Lakes Task Force to help protect the Great Lakes’ environment.

In 1995, Glenn became the main member from the minority party on the Committee on Governmental Affairs. He disagreed with the chair, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, about how to handle questions related to illegal donations from China to Democrats during an election. They did not work well together during the investigation.

Glenn also served as vice chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. After the Republican Party took control of the Senate in 1996, he became the ranking minority member until he was succeeded by Carl Levin. During this time, the committee looked into issues like fraud on the Internet, mortgage fraud, and day trading of securities.

Other committees and activities

Because of health issues in his family, Glenn asked to join the Special Committee on Aging.

Glenn was known for his knowledge of science and technology. He supported continuing the B-1 bomber program but had doubts about the B-2 bomber because of concerns about stealth technology. He tried to slow down the B-2 development to save money, but his idea was not accepted.

Glenn joined the Foreign Relations Committee in 1978. He became chairman of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee and traveled to several countries in Asia. He helped pass the Taiwan Enabling Act of 1979. However, he disagreed with President Carter about a treaty with the Soviet Union because he believed the U.S. could not properly check if the Soviet Union was following the treaty. The Senate did not approve the treaty partly because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Glenn served on this committee until 1985, when he switched to the Armed Services Committee.

In 1987, Glenn became chairman of the Manpower Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee. He introduced laws to increase pay and benefits for American troops during the Gulf War. He served as chairman until 1993, then became chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Readiness and Defense Infrastructure.

Keating Five

Main article: Keating Five

Glenn was one of the Keating Five—U.S. Senators involved in the savings and loan crisis—after he accepted a large campaign donation from Charles Keating, head of Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. During the crisis, the senators were accused of delaying actions that could have prevented additional losses for taxpayers. An investigation found that Glenn and another senator had exercised “poor judgment.” Glenn said he did nothing wrong and that the matter was settled. The situation cost him a lot of money in legal fees, but he was re-elected in 1992.

Retirement

On February 20, 1997, the 35th anniversary of his space flight, Glenn announced he would retire from the Senate at the end of his term in January 1999. He said he was retiring because of his age, noting that he would have been 83 at the end of another term.

Return to space

Main article: STS-95

After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, John Glenn talked about the need to send scientists into space. In 1995, he read a book about space travel and its effects on the body. He thought it was important for NASA to send an older person into space and wanted to be that person.

Glenn worked hard to convince NASA and passed all their tests. In 1998, at the age of 77, he flew into space again on the Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to do so at the time. During the flight, he helped with photography and joined in research studies. After the mission, he received a special award and a parade in his honor.

Personal life

John Glenn and his wife Annie had two children named John David and Carolyn Ann, and they also had two grandchildren. They stayed married for 73 years.

Glenn believed strongly in his faith and was part of a special group called Freemasons. He also belonged to a church group known as the Presbyterian Church. After traveling to space, he felt an even stronger belief in God and thought learning about how we change over time was important.

Public appearances

John Glenn was part of important groups like the International Academy of Astronautics and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He also appeared on the TV show Frasier in 2001.

In 2009, he and his wife helped make a special symbol at an Ohio State University football game. In 2012, he talked to astronauts on the International Space Station and helped move a famous spaceship to a museum. He shared his thoughts on stopping the Space Shuttle program, saying it was not a good idea.

Illness and death

John Glenn stayed healthy for most of his life and even held a pilot’s license until he was 90 years old. In 2014, he had surgery to fix his heart and it was successful. In December 2016, he went to the hospital and his family was with him.

Glenn passed away on December 8, 2016, at the age of 95. After his death, there were services to honor him, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 2017. At the time, he was the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven, the first group of American astronauts.

Many leaders, including President Barack Obama, paid tribute to Glenn for his courage and achievements. The phrase “Godspeed, John Glenn” became popular on social media to celebrate his legacy.

Awards and honors

John Glenn received many important awards for his achievements. In 1963, he was given the John J. Montgomery Award. He also received the Hubbard Medal from the National Geographic Society in 1962. In 2006, he and 37 other astronauts were given the Ambassador of Space Exploration Award.

Glenn was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, which are two of the highest honors for civilians. He was also inducted into several halls of fame, including the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 1968 and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990. Many schools, roads, and even a fireboat were named after him, showing how much people admired him.

Legacy

John Glenn became famous for flying across the country very fast and getting a ticker-tape parade. As a senator, he worked to keep dangerous weapons away and to save money for the government. His space flight in the spacecraft Friendship 7 inspired many people.

President Barack Obama said John Glenn was a hero who broke many barriers. He served as a pilot in World War II and Korea, set a speed record, and went into space when he was very old. NASA praised his brave achievements and his dedication to his country.