Gone West: John Glenn R.I.P.

[Warbird Kid]

John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the earth and a legendary figure in the American space flight program, has died, the Ohio governor has said. He was 95.


Glenn was one of America's first and most celebrated astronauts and had a long public career that included two space flights, 24 years as a U.S. Senator from Ohio, and a run for the presidency. He was born July 18, 1921.

Glenn will go down in history as the first American to orbit the earth, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. On Feb. 20, 1962, he climbed into his Friendship 7 capsule, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, circled the earth three times in five hours -- and became a national hero.

"Zero-G and I feel fine," he said from his spacecraft. "Man, that view is tremendous."

[Zac Yates]

Awful news. He was the last of the Mercury Seven, and the only person to fly both Mercury and on the Space Shuttle (aged 77).

I've been contemplating a build of a Sabre as his "Mig Mad Marine". I think I'll definitely do it now.

As Alan Shepard once memorably said: Godspeed, John Glenn.

[phil65]

A Real American Hero
RIP and Blue Skies...

Phil

[seabee1526]

God Speed John Glenn

[wls3]

Had the privilege to hear him speak 10 years ago at the Kennedy Space Center.
The last of the first, he was treated as royalty there.


John and Annie Glenn

[JohnB]

When he first ran for the Senate, his opponent in the Democratic primary, a nasty man named Metenbaum, attacked Glenn saying he never had a "real job".
Glenn responded "Go tell a Gold Star mother her son didn't have a 'real job'".
I've never forgot that. His brief retort sums up all who serve.
RIP, Colonel.

[APG85]

Legend...

[DH82EH]

A life well lived.

God speed, John Glenn.

Andy

[Sasquatch]

One of my heroes, for sure.

God Speed John Glenn. (hand salute...)

-Tom

[Pogo]

It was Scott Carpenter who said it.

"God Speed John Glenn".

It's sad news for sure, but I celebrate a most excellent life! Ad astra!

[tom d. friedman]

up to today glenn was 1 of the last true living american heroes. to sum it up best is w/ this question.......... what true american hero is left for our youth of today, other than overpaid, over egoed, over pampered jockstrap athletes?? hollywood entertainment trash such as
justin bieber ?? kim kardashian?? a hero today is judged by his wallet. that's pretty sad in the values of today's youth of our future!! god help us!! i really feel a personal loss as an ohioan, an aviation historian, & patriot of our country. i'm worried!!

[DH82EH]

Tom, I feel your pain.
This has been a tough year for the loss of amazing aviators.
Eric, "Winkle", Brown, George Neal, Bob Hoover,....
Just off the top of my Head.
I am also not someone who lends much credence to celebrity. Especially just for the sake of celebrity, without real accomplishment.
Just have to point out, Justin Bieber is Canadian.
You can keep him though.

Andy

[lmritger]

Someone on Hyperscale posted the following brief eulogy, which I felt was beautifully succinct:

"In a world short of great men, we just lost one of the greatest. God speed, John Glenn."

I was living in Daytona when he went up in the Shuttle back in 1998, and I watched him ascend to the heavens atop that majestic pillar of fire right from my front porch. And sad as it is, it's worth noting that John Glenn rode the first and the last American piloted spacecraft platforms into orbit. (I say the last, because there's no guarantee we'll ever get Orion off the ground.)

Sic itur ad astra. (Thus one journeys to the stars.)

Lynn