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Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1962

First American to orbit Earth

On February 20, 1962 John Glenn completed three orbits in Friendship 7, the first American to orbit Earth. He was born in Cambridge, Ohio (Guernsey County) and grew up in New Concord; he later flew STS-95 in 1998 and served in the Senate 1974-1999.

At a glance

Year
1962
By
John Glenn
Company
NASA
Place
Launch at Cape Canaveral, FL; Glenn born Cambridge, grew up New Concord, Muskingum County ZIP 43762 · Muskingum County

The story

In early 1962 the United States was behind the Soviet Union in space. Soviet cosmonauts had already orbited the earth, and America needed to show it could do it too. NASA picked John Glenn for the Mercury flight.

Glenn was born in Cambridge, Ohio in 1921 and grew up in New Concord. He went to Muskingum College and learned to fly through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In World War II and Korea he flew as a Marine fighter pilot, shooting down three MiG-15s and earning six Distinguished Flying Crosses.

On February 20, 1962, he flew Friendship 7 for three orbits of the Earth in about five hours, the first American to orbit. During the flight a sensor suggested the heat shield might be loose; it turned out to be faulty equipment.

Glenn left NASA in 1964 and served Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 1974 to 1999. At 77 he flew again, on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998, becoming the oldest person to reach orbit. He died in December 2016, and Ohio has named places for him, including Columbus's airport.

Timeline

  • 1921: John Glenn is born in Cambridge, Ohio. (Cambridge, OH) source
  • 1962-02-20: Glenn flies Friendship 7 for three orbits, about five hours. (Cape Canaveral, FL) source
  • 1964: Glenn leaves NASA. source
  • 1974: He begins serving Ohio in the U.S. Senate. (Washington, D.C.) source
  • 1998: At age 77 Glenn flies on Space Shuttle Discovery. (Cape Canaveral, FL) source
  • 2016-06-14: Ohio's governor signs the law renaming Columbus's airport for Glenn. (Columbus, OH) source
  • 2016-12: Glenn dies. source

What it changed

  • First American to orbit the Earth.
  • Oldest person to reach orbit, at 77, in 1998.

Why it matters

First American orbit.

Worth knowing

Glenn was born in Cambridge, in Guernsey County, and is often tied to New Concord, in Muskingum County.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.