John Glenn Jr. was born on July 18, 2023 in Cambridge, Ohio. He was a Marine pilot before he was selected in 1959 for Project Mercury astronaut training.
In 1959, NASA picked the first group of astronauts. The seven men would fly on the Mercury spacecraft. NASA called these men the “Mercury Seven.” John Glenn was one of them.
In 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. He named his spacecraft “Friendship 7.” He made three orbits around Earth. He spent about five hours in space. His mission showed that the Mercury spacecraft worked in space. The mission also helped NASA learn more about being in space.
After John Glenn left NASA, he became a U.S. senator from the state of Ohio. He was a senator for 25 years. Later, Glenn worked with college students at Ohio State University in Columbus.
In latest news, John Glenn, who died Dec. 8 at age 95, was laid to rest Thursday in a private burial at Arlington attended by relatives and invited guests. His family scheduled the service for what would have been John and Annie Glenn's 74th wedding anniversary.
His flag-draped coffin covered in plastic to protect it from the pouring rain, was carried to the grave site on a horse-drawn caisson.
His widow, Annie Glenn, 97, attended the ceremony wearing a red dress; she held a single red rose as she sat in tent next to the couple’s two children, John David and Carolyn. She spoke with visible warmth to the Marine who presented her with the flag, and their faces nearly touched before she gave him a kiss. Read more at The New York Times.