John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, breathed his last at the age of 95 at the James Cancer Hospital at the Ohio State University on Thursday, Dec.8.
In 1962, John Herschel Glenn made history when he completed a three-orbit flight in a space capsule called Friendship 7 and excited the whole country.
Cult Figure
Though a short flight of three orbits, Glenn's triumphant grin was enough to inject a new faith in the United States that it can hold its own against the space might of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Glenn was cheered everywhere.
He also served nearly a quarter century as a U.S. senator from Ohio. In 1984, Glenn ran for the Democratic presidential nomination though it was not a success.
Glenn's passion for space did not abate despite his age. In 1998, he took another space voyage at the age of 77 and became the oldest person ever to do so.
As a national hero and a symbol of the space age Glenn had a cult image.
Glenn was living with his wife of 73 years, Anna in a suburb of Washington after retirement as Senator. He had a heart valve replacement surgery in 2014.
President Obama's Tribute
"John always had the right stuff, inspiring generations of scientists, engineers, and astronauts who will take us to Mars and beyond - not just to visit, but to stay," said President Obama in a condolence message.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden also paid glowing tributes and called Glenn a mentor, role model, and dear friend.
"Glenn's extraordinary courage, intellect, patriotism and humanity were the hallmarks of a life of greatness," Bolden said.
He added that Glenn's missions made possible everything the space program has achieved since then, including human missions to Mars that NASA is striving toward now.
Humble Hero
All the heroic adulation only made Glenn more humble as he never talked about himself as a hero.
"I figure I'm the same person who grew up in New Concord, Ohio, and went off through the years to participate in a lot of events of importance," he said in an interview.
The prelude to Glenn's foray into a public career happened in 1964 when he moved out of the astronaut corps and joined private sector before joining politics.
John Herschel Glenn Jr. was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio as the son of a railroad conductor.
"It was small but had a lot of patriotic feeling and parades on all the national holidays. Wanting to do something for the country was just natural, growing up in a place like New Concord," Glenn once said.
Ace Fighter Pilot
Glenn's space ambitions were preceded by his career as a fighter pilot during World War II.
Glenn had started taking flying lessons part time while studying at Muskingum College in 1939. After the Pearl Harbor attacked in Dec. 1941, Glenn signed up for the Naval Aviation Cadet program and joined the Marines.
As a fighter pilot, he made a big name. The laurels were too many--he flew 59 combat missions in the Pacific, earning Distinguished Flying Crosses and other honors. During the Korean War, 90 combat missions were flown that fetched him more medals.
Another first was in 1957 when he took a dare devil debut for a transcontinental supersonic flight and piloted an F8U-1 Crusader from Los Angeles to New York in a record time of 3 hours 23 minutes 8.4 seconds.
Glenn was promoted lieutenant-colonel in 1959 and soon he heeded a call for test pilots to join as astronauts for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for which Glenn and six other pilots were selected — the rest is history.
