Old School Cool: John Glenn becomes the first American in space
55 years ago, 1962, John Glenn made his mark on history as he became the first America ever in space aboard the Friendship 7 capsule. The launch was covered live by CBS with Walter Cronkite making the calls. Glenn’s mission lasted just under 5 hours and took him around the globe three times. He reached speeds of 17,000 miles per hour before splashing down southeast of Bermuda.
To qualify for the mission, John Glenn had to meet 7 criteria:
- Be in excellent physical Shape
- Be less than 40 years old
- Be shorter than 5 feet 11 inches
- Be a qualified jet pilot
- Have at least 1,500 hours of flight time
- Hold a bachelors in engineering
- A graduate of test pilot school.
John Glenn solidified his Old School Cool by returning to space 36 years later at the age of 77. This mission allowed scientists to study how age would affect individuals during space travel.
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Photo Source: NASA. Available on Nasa's Flickr
