# John Glenn Orbits Earth: America's First American in Space

# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.

Good evening, stargazers! It's February 20th, and we're here to commemorate one of the most awe-inspiring moments in human spaceflight history!

On this date in 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth aboard the Mercury-Atlas 6 spacecraft. Now, let me paint you a picture of just how momentous this was. The Space Race was in full swing—the Soviets had already sent Yuri Gagarin into orbit just ten months earlier, and America was hungry to catch up. Glenn, a decorated test pilot with the right stuff coursing through his veins, was selected to make this historic journey.

At 7:47 AM EST, Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule roared skyward from Cape Canaveral, Florida, perched atop an Atlas rocket that had previously been designed to carry nuclear weapons. Talk about repurposing! For nearly five hours, Glenn completed three orbits around our beautiful blue marble, traveling at roughly 17,500 miles per hour. From his window, he witnessed sunrises and sunsets that no American had ever seen before—and he reportedly described the experience as absolutely breathtaking.

What made this mission even more thrilling? Mission Control detected what they thought might be a landing gear problem during re-entry, causing some serious tension in the control room. But Glenn's capsule came down safely in the Atlantic Ocean, splashing down near Grand Turk Island, and America had finally matched the Soviets in human spaceflight achievement.

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