{"id":37998,"date":"2012-02-16T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-16T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-339761"},"modified":"2023-07-25T11:19:07","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T15:19:07","slug":"glenn-orbits-the-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/glenn-orbits-the-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Glenn Orbits the Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"padding-top-5 padding-bottom-3 width-full maxw-full hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-intro\"><div class=\"width-full maxw-full article-header\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2 width-full maxw-full\"><p class=\"label carbon-60 margin-0 margin-bottom-3 padding-0\">2 min read<\/p><h1 class=\"display-48 margin-bottom-2\">Glenn Orbits the Earth<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Group shot of the original Mercury Astronauts taken at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), Houston, TX. \" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg 4725w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=300,233 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=768,597 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=1024,796 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=1536,1195 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=2048,1593 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=400,311 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=600,467 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=900,700 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=1200,933 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/s63-18853.jpg?resize=2000,1556 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">On April 9, 1959, NASA’s first administrator, Dr. Keith Glennan, announced the names of the agency’s first group of astronauts at a news conference in Washington, D.C. Now known as the “Original Seven,” they included three Naval aviators, M. Scott Carpenter, Walter M. Schirra Jr., and Alan B. Shepard Jr.; three Air Force pilots, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, and Donald K. (Deke) Slayton; along with Marine Corps aviator John H. Glenn Jr. This group photo of the original Mercury astronauts was taken in June 1963 at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas. The astronauts are, left-to-right: Cooper, Schirra, Shepard, Grissom, Glenn, Slayton and Carpenter.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>On February 20, 1962, NASA launched one of the most important flights in American history. The mission? Send a man to orbit Earth, observe his reactions and return him home safely. The pilot of this historic flight, John Glenn, became a national hero and a symbol of American ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1642\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"John Glenn is wearing his space suit preparing to board the Mercury spacecraft inside the Hangar S altitude chamber.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg 2244w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=300,241 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=768,616 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=1024,821 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=1536,1231 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=2048,1642 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=400,321 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=600,481 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=900,722 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=1200,962 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-m61-00150_0.jpg?resize=2000,1603 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Astronaut John Glenn, suited with hose to suit ventilation unit attached, is seen preparing to board his Mercury spacecraft inside the Hangar S altitude chamber. The chamber allowed engineers and technicians to test the leakage rate of the capsule\u2019s pressure shell and verify that the spacecraft’s environmental control system and other equipment worked as designed.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In 1958, John Glenn participated in a series of tests designed to select the first group of astronauts for the newly formed NASA Manned Space Program. Each astronaut candidate, from an original pool of 508, had to meet seven criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They had to be test pilot school graduates in excellent physical shape, less than 40 years old, shorter than 5 feet 11 inches, qualified jet pilots, and they had to have at least 1,500 hours flying time and bachelors\u2019 degrees in engineering. Glenn met all the requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also had a reputation as one of the best test pilots in the country. In July 1957, he had set a transcontinental speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in 3 hours and 23 minutes. It was the first transcontinental flight to average supersonic speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In April of 1959, John Glenn was selected as a member of the first group of astronauts, the \u201cMercury Seven.\u201d He was joined by Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Wally\u00a0Schirra, Alan Shepard and\u00a0Deke\u00a0Slayton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA Glenn\u2019s Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility, or Gimbal Rig, was one of the many facilities where the seven astronauts trained for their missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After three years of training, John Glenn rocketed into space aboard the Mercury capsule Friendship 7. He became the third American in space and the first to orbit Earth. The historical flight was no easy feat. At the end of his first orbit, a yaw attitude jet clogged, forcing Glenn to abandon the automatic control system and use the manual electrical fly-by-wire system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 4 hours and 56 minutes, John Glenn circled the globe three times, reaching speeds of more than 17,000 miles per hour. The successful mission concluded with a splashdown and recovery in the Atlantic Ocean, 800 miles southeast of Bermuda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Glenn instantly became a hero. President John Kennedy awarded him the Space Congressional Medal of Honor. Schools and streets across the country were named after him. And a ticker tape parade in New York City celebrated his mission. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-center nasa-button-link padding-y-1 padding-x-0 hds-module wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-john-h-glenn\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"button-primary button-primary-md link-external-true\" aria-label=\"Learn More About John Glenn\">\n\t\t<span class=\"line-height-alt-1\">Learn More About John Glenn<\/span>\n\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"button-primary-circle\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\t\t<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\"><h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/nasa-led-mission-to-map-air-pollution-over-both-u-s-coasts\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg 4246w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=768,401 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1024,535 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1536,802 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2048,1070 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=400,209 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=600,313 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=900,470 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1200,627 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2000,1045 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">2 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 day ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/wallops\/nasas-wallops-flight-facility-to-launch-student-experiments\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=900,600 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility to Launch Student Experiments<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/hubble\/nasas-hubble-restarts-science-in-new-pointing-mode\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/hubble-space-telescope-hst-7.jpg\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">3 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA\u2019s Hubble Restarts Science in New Pointing Mode<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">NASA successfully transitioned operations for the agency\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope to an alternate operating mode…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On February 20, 1962, NASA launched one of the most important flights in American history. The mission? Send a man to orbit Earth, observe his reactions and return him home safely. The pilot of this historic flight, John Glenn, became a national hero and a symbol of American ambition. In 1958, John Glenn participated in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":215954,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2671,3215,3547,3226,2655],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[4943,5741],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Glenn Orbits the Earth","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/glenn-orbits-the-earth\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/glenn-orbits-the-earth\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/friendship_7_8_glenn_ingressing_spacecraft_314095main_image_1288_full.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/friendship_7_8_glenn_ingressing_spacecraft_314095main_image_1288_full.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA History","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nikki Welch"}],"creator":["Nikki Welch"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","NASA History","Former Astronauts","John H. Glenn Jr.","Mercury"],"dateCreated":"2012-02-16T16:30:00Z","datePublished":"2012-02-16T16:30:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-25T15:19:07Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Glenn Orbits the Earth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/glenn-orbits-the-earth\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/friendship_7_8_glenn_ingressing_spacecraft_314095main_image_1288_full.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2012-02-16T16:30:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA History\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,NASA History,Former Astronauts,John H. Glenn Jr.,Mercury\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Nikki Welch\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":2,"time_ago":"12 years","featured_image":{"id":215954,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/friendship_7_8_glenn_ingressing_spacecraft_314095main_image_1288_full.jpg","title":"John Glenn Goes Into Orbit","alt":"Astronaut John Glenn enters the Mercury spacecraft, Friendship 7, prior to the launch of Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) on Feb. 20, 1962.","caption":"Astronaut John Glenn enters the Mercury spacecraft, Friendship 7, prior to the launch of Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) on Feb. 20, 1962."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37998"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37998"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":443512,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37998\/revisions\/443512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37998"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=37998"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=37998"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=37998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}