AVB
Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
1962
Cape Canaveral, Fla., Feb. 20 -- John H. Glenn Jr. orbited three times around the earth today and landed safely to become the first American to make such a flight.
The 40-year-old Marine Corps lieutenant colonel traveled about 81,000 miles in 4 hours 56 minutes before splashing into the Atlantic at 2:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. He had been launched from here at 9:47 A. M.
The astronaut's safe return was no less a relief than a thrill to the Project Mercury team, because there had been real concern that the Friendship 7 capsule might disintegrate as it rammed back into the atmosphere. There had also been a serious question whether Colonel Glenn could complete three orbits as planned. But despite persistent control problems, he managed to complete the entire flight plan. The astronaut's landing place was near Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas, about 700 miles southeast of here. Still in his capsule, he was plucked from the water at 3:01 P. M. with a boom and block and tackle by the destroyer Noa. The capsule was deposited on deck at 3:04.
Colonel Glenn's first words as he stepped out onto the Noa's deck were: "It was hot in there." He quickly obtained a glass of ice tea. He was in fine condition except for two skinned knuckles hurt in the process of blowing out the side hatch of the capsule.
The colonel was transferred by helicopter to the carrier Randolph, whose recovery helicopters had raced the Noa for the honor of making the pick-up. After a meal and extensive "de-briefing" aboard the carrier, he was flown to Grand Turk by submarine patrol plane for two days of rest and interviews on technical, medical and other aspects of his flight.
The Noa, nearest ship to the capsule as it parachuted into the ocean, took just twenty-one minutes to close the six-mile gap, lift the capsule aboard with a bomb-block-and-tackle rig and place it gently on the deck.
Colonel Glenn first was set to wriggle out of the narrow top. But when difficulty was encountered in getting one of the bulkheads loose, the explosive side hatch was blown off, and the man from space stepped out on deck, apparently in excellent shape. He was soon afterward transferred to the carrier Randolph.
In the course of his three orbits, Colonel Glenn reported frequently to tracking stations at various points on earth and to the control center here. Invariably, he said that his condition was fine.
Shortly after Colonel Glenn was picked up by the Noa, he received congratulations on his feat from President Kennedy by radio telephone.
A situation that seemed at the moment to pose the greatest danger developed near the end of the flight. A signal radioed from the capsule indicated that the heat shield- the blunt forward end made of ceramic-like material that dispels the friction heat of re-entry and chars in the process might be torn away before it could do its job. If it had, the flight would have had a tragic end.
Cape Canaveral, Fla., Feb. 20 -- John H. Glenn Jr. orbited three times around the earth today and landed safely to become the first American to make such a flight.
The 40-year-old Marine Corps lieutenant colonel traveled about 81,000 miles in 4 hours 56 minutes before splashing into the Atlantic at 2:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. He had been launched from here at 9:47 A. M.
The astronaut's safe return was no less a relief than a thrill to the Project Mercury team, because there had been real concern that the Friendship 7 capsule might disintegrate as it rammed back into the atmosphere. There had also been a serious question whether Colonel Glenn could complete three orbits as planned. But despite persistent control problems, he managed to complete the entire flight plan. The astronaut's landing place was near Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas, about 700 miles southeast of here. Still in his capsule, he was plucked from the water at 3:01 P. M. with a boom and block and tackle by the destroyer Noa. The capsule was deposited on deck at 3:04.
Colonel Glenn's first words as he stepped out onto the Noa's deck were: "It was hot in there." He quickly obtained a glass of ice tea. He was in fine condition except for two skinned knuckles hurt in the process of blowing out the side hatch of the capsule.
The colonel was transferred by helicopter to the carrier Randolph, whose recovery helicopters had raced the Noa for the honor of making the pick-up. After a meal and extensive "de-briefing" aboard the carrier, he was flown to Grand Turk by submarine patrol plane for two days of rest and interviews on technical, medical and other aspects of his flight.
The Noa, nearest ship to the capsule as it parachuted into the ocean, took just twenty-one minutes to close the six-mile gap, lift the capsule aboard with a bomb-block-and-tackle rig and place it gently on the deck.
Colonel Glenn first was set to wriggle out of the narrow top. But when difficulty was encountered in getting one of the bulkheads loose, the explosive side hatch was blown off, and the man from space stepped out on deck, apparently in excellent shape. He was soon afterward transferred to the carrier Randolph.
In the course of his three orbits, Colonel Glenn reported frequently to tracking stations at various points on earth and to the control center here. Invariably, he said that his condition was fine.
Shortly after Colonel Glenn was picked up by the Noa, he received congratulations on his feat from President Kennedy by radio telephone.
A situation that seemed at the moment to pose the greatest danger developed near the end of the flight. A signal radioed from the capsule indicated that the heat shield- the blunt forward end made of ceramic-like material that dispels the friction heat of re-entry and chars in the process might be torn away before it could do its job. If it had, the flight would have had a tragic end.
