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John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth, dies aged 95
Former astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, has died in Ohio aged 95
John Glenn has passed away at age 95
Former astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, has died in Ohio aged 95.
Glenn died on Thursday afternoon at the James cancer hospital in Columbus, according to Hank Wilson of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. Ohio governor John Kasich also confirmed the news on Twitter.
An Ohio State University spokesman had announced on Wednesday that Glenn had been admitted to the hospital more than a week earlier. However, his illness was not disclosed and the spokesman had cautioned that it might not be cancer.
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) December 8, 2016
Glenn became a national hero in the US in 1962 when he became the first American to orbit the Earth, one year after the Soviet Union had sent their own man into orbit, Yuri Gagarin. Glenn was the third US astronaut in space and the first American in orbit, circling the Earth three times.
He received a distinguished service medal from then-president John F Kennedy upon his return and was greeted by millions for a ticker-tape parade in New York City.
Condolences came from politicians across the aisle, celebrities, NASA and more, reflecting a deep and widespread reverence for Glenn. President-elect Donald Trump called Glenn a hero.
Today we lost a great pioneer of air and space in John Glenn. He was a hero and inspired generations of future explorers. He will be missed.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2016
“To me he was a great American hero,” he told pool reporters on Thursday, adding that he had met him twice.
In a statement, President Barack Obama said the nation had lost an icon in Glenn.
“With John’s passing, our nation has lost an icon and Michelle and I have lost a friend,” the statement said. “The last of America’s first astronauts has left us, but propelled by their example we know that our future here on Earth compels us to keep reaching for the heavens. On behalf of a grateful nation, Godspeed, John Glenn.”
Glenn was the last survivor of the original “Mercury Seven” group of military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA to become America’s first astronauts.
