COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — John Glenn plans to mark the 50th anniversary of his historic spaceflight with a series of events today at Ohio State University, including a celebratory dinner and a chat with the International Space Station.
The astronaut and senator from Ohio became the first American to orbit the Earth on Feb. 20, 1962, circling it three times in five hours and helping to lead the nation into space. The trip helped the United States catch up to the Soviet Union’s accomplishments, and Glenn said he thinks it was a turning point for the national psyche.
“It’s amazing to me to look back 50 years and think that it’s been 50 years,” Glenn told The Associated Press last month.
He and NASA administrator Charles Bolden were expected to speak with the space station today to kick off a NASA forum about the agency’s future and its role in advancing fields such as science, technology and the economy. Glenn and Annie, his wife of almost seven decades, will cap the day by participating in a student-led question-and-answer session during an evening gala featuring a keynote speech by former astronaut Mark Kelly, the commander of the space shuttle Endeavour’s final mission.
Glenn was among the top military test pilots presented in 1959 as the Mercury Seven.
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