50 years ago, John Glenn became hero

Monday is the 50th anniversary of NASA astronaut John Glenn's mission to be the first American to orbit the Earth.


Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, doing so three times at an altitude of up to 162 statute miles and speeds of up to 17,500 miles an hour, finally returning home with a successful splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, 800 miles off Bermuda.

It was no accident that Glenn was chosen to be first to orbit the planet. As a U.S. Marine, he flew 59 combat missions in World War II and later flew 63 more during the Korean War.