Astronautics
Space Sciences
WikiSpace
Aerospace Lectures
February 20, 1962: John Glenn is the First American to Orbit the Earth
On Feb. 20, 1962, NASA astronaut John Glenn launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral inside a tiny capsule named Friendship 7
The Mercury spacecraft circled Earth three times, ultimately splashing down near the Turks and Caicos Islands four hours and 55 minutes after liftoff.
It was the United States' first-ever crewed orbital spaceflight — a milestone that the nation's Cold War rival, the Soviet Union, had notched 10 months earlier, with the landmark mission of Yuri Gagarin.
On Feb. 20, 1962, NASA astronaut John Glenn launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral inside a tiny capsule named Friendship 7. The Mercury spacecraft circled Earth three times, ultimately splashing down near the Turks and Caicos Islands four hours and 55 minutes after liftoff.
Glenn, one of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, didn't exactly fade into obscurity after the hoopla surrounding his landmark flight died down. He retired from NASA in January 1964 but returned to public service a decade later, winning election to the U.S. Senate from Ohio in 1974. He won re-election in 1980, 1986, and 1992, serving a total of four terms in the body.
And Glenn ended up going to orbit again. In October 1998, at the age of 77, he spent nine days aboard the space shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person ever to travel to the final frontier.
Tags1962 John Glenn February 20 First american spaceflighr John Glenn
Moon Day: July 20 of Every Year
May 7, 1992: Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches on its Maiden Voyage
May 6, 1968: Neil Armstrong Barely Escapes Fiery Crash
May 5, 1961: Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space
May 3, 1986: Delta Rocket Fails to Launch GOES-G Weather Satellite
May 1, 1949: Nereid the Moon of Neptune is Discovered.
Feb. 23, 1990: Pioneer 11 heads out of the solar system
February 1, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia Disintegrates During Landing Killing Seven Astronauts
Cosmonaut who Holds the Record for Longest Stay in Space Dies
The New FCC Report on Space Debris has Recommendation for Mitigating Space Debris
How is NASA Going Back to the Moon with the Artemis Mission?
Artemis I to Bring NASA Back to the Moon starting with a Series of Flights
Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenbery and Actors Scotty and Uhura's Ashes will be Flown to Deep Space in a Vulcan Rocket
NASA and Boeing Delay Their Joint First Starliner Astronaut Mission to 2023
Upcoming Global Lunar Missions of Different Countries
What is Space Tourism?
What is the NASA Artemis Program?