John Glenn

A military pilot who distinguished himself in World War II and the Korean War, John Glenn came to widespread public attention as one of the Mercury Seven, the original group of astronauts chosen to participate in the American effort to explore outer space. In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. Retiring from the space program two years later, he participated in a number of successful business ventures and in 1970 was elected as a senator from his native Ohio. Over the next several decades, he became one of the Senate’s most respected and influential members. In 1998, at the age of seventy-seven, Glenn became the oldest astronaut to fly in space. This watercolor sketch, made from life by Henry Casselli, captures the astronaut in a moment of reflection just before his 1998 launch.