John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, flying a ship called the Friendship 7 around the world in a nearly 5-hour flight on February 20, 1962. Glenn also had political aspirations, running as a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat for Ohio in 1964.
John Glenn, First Astronaut to Orbit the Earth, Dies at 95
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Former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn (C) waves to the crowd at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center for the arrival of space shuttle Discovery (back) while former shuttle commanders applaud in Virginia, April 19, 2012.
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STS-95 payload specialist John Glenn works with the Osteporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO) experiment located in a locker in the Discovery's middeck, Nov. 18, 1998.
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Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, answers questions from the press in Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 18, 1984.
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Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) and wife, Anne, wave to crowd that attended a fund raiser in Houston, Dec. 16, 1982. Glenn is exploring the possibility of running for the Democratic nomination for President.