Mon
Feb 20 2012 5:00pm
3 comments
Watch John Glenn’s Historic Flight on the 50th Anniversary of Friendship 7
Stubby the Rocket

It was 50 years ago today that the first American astronaut took one full spin around the Earth. In the tiny Mercury capsule Friendship 7, astronaut John Glenn completed one orbit around the Earth and made history. Alan Shepard had preceded Glenn in being the first American in space aboard Freedom 7, though didn’t complete a full orbit. Of course, both were shown up a year prior by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who became the first human in space and also completed one orbit, an achievement matched by Glenn 50 years ago today.

Today, NASA is celebrating John Glenn’s historic orbit with a variety of interactive features on its website. Above is brand-new amazing 25 minute documentary chronicling this epic flight.

Stubby the Rocket is the voice and mascot of Tor.com. Stubby loves those little Mercury spaceships so much Stubby could just eat them up.

nasa | space | Friendship 7 | John Glenn
3 comments
Narmitaj
1. Narmitaj
Monday February 20, 2012 06:55pm EST
Glenn completed three orbits, so in that respect he out-orbited Gagarin, who in a sense did not even complete one. Gagarin lifted off and ascended going east, and though he went _into_ orbit and could have stayed for days, he descended and landed further west than his take-off point.

However, Glenn was "shown up" by Gherman Titov, who had completed 17 orbits in a 25 hour flight six months before him (in August 1961); in the close aftermath of this PR success, the Berlin Wall got built.

Still just 25 at the time of his flight, Titov remains the youngest ever person to go into space, a record I guess he is likely to keep for the next few decades at least.
Janice Hopper
2. Archergal5219
view all by Archergal5219 | Monday February 20, 2012 08:52pm EST
I was 9 and getting ready to have my tonsils out. I was SO EXCITED by this event that I had to write John Glenn a fan letter from the hospital. Just needed a little help with the spelling of Canaveral.

I got back an autographed picture and some info on the Mercury astronauts. I still have the picture to this day.
Janice Hopper
3. Archergal5219
view all by Archergal5219 | Monday February 20, 2012 08:52pm EST | amended on Monday February 20, 2012 08:52pm EST

Subscribe to this thread

Receive notification by email when a new comment is added. You must be a registered user to subscribe to threads.
Post a comment