Picturing John Glenn: A Life Dedicated to Science and Service

John Glenn, who is best known for being the first American to orbit Earth, led a remarkable career as a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot, military test pilot, NASA astronaut, and United States senator from Ohio. This portrait, taken by the photographer Yousuf Karsh, shows Glenn in a NASA flight suit in 1968, four years after he had retired from the agency.

The following year, Glenn left college to enlist as a Naval Aviation cadet, and he joined the Marine Corps in 1943. He flew 149 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War, earning numerous medals for his achievements in aerial flight.

On February 20, 1962, aboard the Friendship 7 space capsule, Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. This painting by Boris Artzybasheff served as the cover art for Time magazine’s March 2, 1962, issue featuring an article about Glenn’s historic flight.

During his flight, Glenn reached an altitude of 162.7 miles and an average speed of 17,400 miles per hour while orbiting Earth three times. 

Although two unplanned issues during the spaceflight jeopardized the mission—one that forced Glenn to assume manual control of the capsule and another that signaled a problem with the vessel’s heat shield—Friendship 7 ultimately splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean four hours and fifty-six minutes after takeoff.

Glenn returned to Earth widely regarded as a hero. President John F. Kennedy greeted him in Cape Canaveral three days after his flight and awarded the astronaut NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal. Cities across the country honored Glenn with parades.

Glenn retired from the Marine Corps and NASA and entered private industry in 1965 as the vice president of corporate development for Royal Crown Cola. In 1974, he won the election to represent Ohio in the US Senate —his third run and first successful bid for the office—and he served four terms (1975–1999). 

As a politician, Glenn was especially dedicated to science and technology issues, including environmental policy, nuclear non-proliferation, and concerns related to aging. He was also a staunch advocate for government support of science and health research and education.

On October 29, 1998, NASA returned Glenn to space on a nearly nine-day trip aboard the space shuttle Discovery to study the medical impacts of spaceflight on individuals of advanced age. At age seventy-seven, Glenn was the oldest person ever to travel in space. This watercolor sketch, made from life by Henry Casselli, captures the astronaut in a moment of reflection just before launch.

In recognition of his accomplished military career, Glenn received two Distinguished Flying Cross medals with three Gold Stars and two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, in addition to many other awards and honors. He also received the Congressional Gold Medal (2011) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012) and was elected to the membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2013).