Mercury 7 Accomplishments
At 94, years old John Glenn still has the “right stuff”. In 1959, John Glenn rose to fame as part of the Mercury 7, a group of 7 men picked to be America’s first astronauts. The Mercury 7 were as popular as movie stars are today. John’s flight on the Friendship 7 mission on February 20, 1962, gave him the title of being the first American to orbit the Earth and the fifth person in space. John became a national hero. John is the last living astronaut of the Mercury 7 and I sat down with him to discuss all of his accomplishments over the past years of his remarkable life including his life after NASA as a U.S. Senator.
John, you were born on July 18, 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio and raised in New Concord, Ohio. Tell me about your childhood …show more content…
In World War II you flew 59 combat missions in the South Pacific and 63 combat missions in Korea. How did that help in your selection of being one of the seven selected for the NASA Mercury 7 program?
There were a lot of requirements in the selection process for being an astronaut. First, you had to be young – between the ages of 25 to 40. Also, you couldn’t be too tall – shorter than 5’11” – or you wouldn’t fit in the spacecraft. You also had to have so much “air time” which I had accomplished in being in the Wars. Also, there were many hard tests both mentally and physically. NASA tested 508 astronauts and I was one of the seven selected. I was so excited and proud to be a part of that program for my Country.
There was a lot of pressure to being in the Mercury 7 program. The U.S. was constantly competing with Russia to be the first one in space. The U.S. lost that battle. Then there was constant competition with the Mercury 7 to be picked first. How did you feel that you were selected …show more content…
I was the first American to orbit the Earth. I was the third American and fifth human in space. I’ve received many awards such as the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. I’ve also been a U.S. Senator of Ohio for almost 25 years. However, you’d be surprised to know that way back in 1962, my old high school, New Concord High School, was renamed the John Glenn High School. That meant a lot to me because to think that people consider what you’ve done is worthy to name a school after you is a very great
John, you were born on July 18, 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio and raised in New Concord, Ohio. Tell me about your childhood …show more content…
In World War II you flew 59 combat missions in the South Pacific and 63 combat missions in Korea. How did that help in your selection of being one of the seven selected for the NASA Mercury 7 program?
There were a lot of requirements in the selection process for being an astronaut. First, you had to be young – between the ages of 25 to 40. Also, you couldn’t be too tall – shorter than 5’11” – or you wouldn’t fit in the spacecraft. You also had to have so much “air time” which I had accomplished in being in the Wars. Also, there were many hard tests both mentally and physically. NASA tested 508 astronauts and I was one of the seven selected. I was so excited and proud to be a part of that program for my Country.
There was a lot of pressure to being in the Mercury 7 program. The U.S. was constantly competing with Russia to be the first one in space. The U.S. lost that battle. Then there was constant competition with the Mercury 7 to be picked first. How did you feel that you were selected …show more content…
I was the first American to orbit the Earth. I was the third American and fifth human in space. I’ve received many awards such as the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. I’ve also been a U.S. Senator of Ohio for almost 25 years. However, you’d be surprised to know that way back in 1962, my old high school, New Concord High School, was renamed the John Glenn High School. That meant a lot to me because to think that people consider what you’ve done is worthy to name a school after you is a very great