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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FILE - John Glenn, standing next to his Friendship 7 capsule in which he made his historic orbital flight, meets with President John F. Kennedy. Mrs. Glenn stands next to her husband.
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FILE - U.S. President John F. Kennedy pays tribute to astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. for his February 1962 flight aboard Friendship 7. The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission marked the free world's first orbital manned flight.
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A camera onboard the "Friendship 7" Mercury spacecraft photographs astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. during his historic flight, Feb. 20, 1962.
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Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., undergoes a simulated orbital flight as part of his training for Project Mercury in the Manned Spacecraft Center's procedure trainer at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, Nov. 29, 1961.