John Glenn is an American astronaut who also served as Senator of Ohio for 25 years. He holds the record for being the first man to orbit the earth and the oldest man to fly in space. He has traveled 3.6 million miles and 134 earth orbits.
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. was born in Cambridge, Ohio, in July of 1921. John grew up with his parents in a small Ohio town. He studied Engineering and obtained his private pilot’s license while attending college.He married his longtime sweetheart and girlfriend, Anna Castor, in 1943.
When the U.S. became involved in WWII, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After flight training he transferred to the Marine Corps, and was sent to combat in the South Pacific. He successfully flew 59 combat missions during the war. He also served in the Korean War, flying 90 combat missions in two tours. Glenn was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross multiple times, as well as many other medals for his service.
Upon returning to the U.S., Glenn completed mission “Project Bullet” in 1957, piloting the first transcontinental supersonic flight from Los Angeles to New York in just over three hours. His experience as a military test pilot secured his position as an astronaut with the newly-formed NASA in 1958.
In February of 1962, Glenn was the first American (piloting the “Mercury 7”) who completed orbits around the earth three times. Later that month, President John F. Kennedy paid tribute to Glenn, awarding him the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. A 1962 documentary about his life and achievements, “The John Glenn Story,” earned an Academy Award nomination. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel and retired from the military in 1965.
After working as an executive in the business world for nearly a decade, Glenn was elected as the United States Senator for Ohio. He served in this role for 24 years, from 1974-1999. In 1978 he authored a bill against nuclear weapons. In 1991, he traveled to Kuwait and helped document legislation to give benefits to war veterans. In 1998, he again returned to space, on a 9 day mission investigating space flight systems. At the age of 77, he became the oldest man to fly in space.
“The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math, and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next level of space travel.”
In addition to his extensive military honors, John Glenn has earned nine honorary doctoral degrees from colleges and universities for his work in politics and science. He is a role mode who inspired a generation of scientists to pursue greatness.