John Glenn

[mustangdriver]

That would be awesome to see. When I was a kid, I wrote to John Glenn, and he wrote me back and sent along a signed pic that I still have. I will never forget the look on my parents face when they went to get the mail and came back with a big envelope for me with the return address being that of John Glenn. I remember my mom saying, "Is this THE John Glenn?"

[tom d. friedman]

i'm grateful to have his autograph. his honesty, integrity, & sheer gentlemanship as a marine officer & senator speaks for itself. as for being an astronaut twice, the 1st time when manned space technology was in it's infancy & when he went up as a senior citizen speaks volumes for his guts & bravery.

[michaelharadon]

I read that the Kennedy administration forbid NASA to fly him again because losing him would be too great a blow to the space program.

[JohnB]

You can certainly make the argument that in the public's eyes, he was THE astronaut...the most famous, the best known, best liked.
Stop someone on the street in the 60s and ask them to name an astronaut, it would be him.

Today the best known would probably be Neil Armstrong.

[michaelharadon]

You can certainly make the argument that in the public's eyes, he was THE astronaut...the most famous, the best known, best liked.
Stop someone on the street in the 60s and ask them to name an astronaut, it would be him.

Or at least a toss up between Glenn and Jose Jimenez

[mustangdriver]

Sadly enough when we were doing a poll of different age groups about Gus Grissom many thought we were asking about the character from CSI.

[JDK]

Sadly enough when we were doing a poll of different age groups about Gus Grissom many thought we were asking about the character from CSI.

My wife's an art historian - thankfully those who think Renaissance artists were a team of Turtles are receding into the morass of old popular culture - something we can expect for crap like CSI in due course as well.

[Chappie]

I've read John Glenn's autobiography and other books on the space program- great pilot, husband, father, and a great American. The only thing I did not like was that he was the only Mercury astronaut that did not own a Corvette.


Chappie

PS- When is Discovery supposed to arrive at Dulles? Will it come atop the SCA?

[the330thbg]

i never met John Glenn, but I met Buzz Aldrin. The astornauts back then were the real 'heroes' in America. Every kid I knew wanted to be one, had the GI Joe to prove it and the Estes kit to show it.

It was last year at a book sigining here in NYC. I was shaking I was so excited. I had the photo (poster) from National Geographic that had all the astronauts with a little legend of their names below.. on my wall like most kids. I was up way before dawn prior to any launch glued to the screen for most of the day.

Buzz was awesome and i was absolutely thrilled to finally meet one of my few heroes growing up.