COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sunday marks 60 years since Ohio native and astronaut John Glenn went on the historic mission to orbit the Earth.
Glenn, who was one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven, was the first American to orbit the planet. He flew the mission in under five hours and circled Earth three times in a Mercury capsule named Friendship 7.
The historic mission marked a shift in the space race by showing that the United States could compete with the Soviet Union.
Glenn returned a national hero and the flight is still recognized as one of the most important flights in American history.
In 1998, Glenn returned to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery. During the nine-day mission, he served as part of a study for NASA on health problems associated with aging.
Glenn retired from his U.S. Senate seat in 1999 after four consecutive terms in office.
Glenn passed away on Dec. 8, 2016. He was 95.