50 years ago, today, John Glenn became the first man to orbit the earth. During a five hour flight, he orbited the earth three times. He did that less than three years after the program began. Just seven years later men were walking on the moon. We owe a lot to the people that worked tirelessly to accomplish that goal. Today only two of the Mercury 7 astronauts are still alive (Glenn and Scott Carpenter).
My first year at NASA, by fluke chance, I ended up sitting at the same table as John Glenn during lunch. He was preparing for his flight on the Space Shuttle. At that point he was 77 and set a new record as the oldest person to go into space.
He is a true hero.
