John H. Glenn Jr.

John Glenn next to the spaceship Friendhip 7. (http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/images/1169.jpg)

John H. Glenn Jr., participated in many things for his nation, but the most notable occurred when he left the planet. He had never cared to be a plumber or take over his father’s business. He had a bigger plan in life. John H. Glenn Jr. the son of John H. Glenn Sr. and Clara Glenn, was born in Cambridge, Ohio on July 18, 1921. He grew up with three siblings, two of which died at an early age. While attending college at the Muskingum College in Concord, Ohio, Glenn volunteered for a civilian pilot training program (Don Mitchell pg.17). He discovered that flying came naturally to him (Don Mitchell pg.17). In 1942 he enlisted as a marine and fought in World War II. He later became a test pilot at the fighter design branch at the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. John H. Glenn Jr. broke a flying record while testing an airplane. He then was chosen to become one of the first Americans launched into space. On February 20, 1962, at the NASA spacecraft center in Houston Texas, John H. Glenn Jr. deployed into space for his trip around Earth. Glenn entered the rocket named Friendship 7, doing all the preparations needed for his flight out of the Earth’s atmosphere. The countdown to his adventure began and Glenn was thrust into space. He orbited the earth three times. He became the first person in the world to see the sun rise and set four times in a single day (Green pg.14). The orbit was smooth until he received a call from NASA informing him that his heat shield might not be totally intact.(Green Pg.70) He was told he should keep his rocket booster attached when he falls out of orbit instead of letting it fall off (Mitchell pg.40). As his capsule hurled down to earth as fast as a meteor, he lost contact with NASA. He heard a thud and as he looked out his window, Glenn saw flames wrapped around his capsule (Green pg.72). Back on Earth, stressful minutes passed. NASA did not know if Glenn was alive or had burned up in space. As Glenn entered the Earth’s atmosphere, he re-established contact with Cape Canaveral, and NASA suddenly erupted with cheers of joy and happiness. His parachute erupted out of the capsule, and slowly dropped into the Atlantic Ocean, for a safe landing. In 1974, John H. Glenn Jr., was elected a senator for Ohio. Glenn said “I thought I could make reasoned, principled decisions on the issues by learning the facts, keeping in close touch with my constituents, and finding a balance between their needs and those of the country as a whole.” (Green pg.84)

Glenn in his spaceship Friendship 7 (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/9810/johnglenn62_nasa.jpg)

John H. Glenn Jr., a pioneer in space travel, and a courageous hero, paved the way in space travel for generations to come.

John H. Glenn Jr., deserved the title hero because of his courageous act of risking his own life for the betterment of his country. Glenn knew that the heat of re-entry would reach 9,500 Fahrenheit and radio communications would be knocked out until he entered the Earth’s atmosphere. (Green pg.71) Being one of the first to escape the atmosphere and come back to Earth was extremely risky during the infancy of space travel. No one knew if the space ship would burn to dust at any moment. He was doing this for his country, so they could gain more knowledge about space and the Earth. Not knowing how the rocket and the astronaut would react to the G- force created by the Earths gravitational pull was one of the biggest risk. “The 125-ton Atlas rocket would fire Glenn through the earth’s atmosphere like a human cannon ball.”(Green pg.9) Cannon balls go straight up and straight down. Glenn’s ship could have done the same. John H. Glenn Jr. took the risk of being shot into space and not returning. John H. Glenn Jr. deserved the title hero for paving the way for space travel and advancing in the space race against the Soviets. “John H. Glenn Jr., was the first American to orbit the earth.”(Discovering biography) The starting point for space travel began with him, and where would we be without it. We would still be on the ground, not knowing what outer space contained. The space race against the Soviets was extremely important because of the threat of nuclear warheads. “People were afraid that one of these countries would learn to launch weapons from orbit. The space programs of the Soviet Union and the United States brought both countries closer, not only to perfecting long range rockets, but to military domination of the world.”(Greenpg.56) John Glenn is a hero for getting ahead in the space race against the Soviets, for his bravery to explore space. The Soviets knew we had just as much power as them in launching nuclear war heads. In other words, it could be said Glenn’s participation in space travel helped stop a nuclear attack.

John Glenn when he was young and when he is old (http://media.photobucket.com/image/john%20h%20glenn%20jr/DJ-Models/Space/JohnH.jpg?o=1)

John H. Glenn Jr., is an inspiration for his dedication to his country, no matter what the risk. “John Glenn’s willingness to sacrifice his own life for his country time and again, in combat, as a test pilot, and as an astronaut is a fundamental characteristic of true heroism.” (Don Mitchell pg.42) He demonstrated his dedication to his country by repeatedly, never doing less than his best. John Glenn was a brave astronaut. He helped stop a nuclear warhead attack and eventually served his country as a senator.

John Glenn was quoted as saying. “One of the most exhilarating things that can ever happen to a man or woman is to be able to represent their country and be called to something, to a purpose larger than themselves.” (Mitchell pg.5) John Glenn took the risk of going into space and being called to a larger purpose than himself. John Glenn did not do what was better for him but what was better for others.

John H. Glenn Jr., a hero for his inspirational courage and dedication to his work, paved the way for space travel to come. Glenn took to heart President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to better America. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” (Green pg.75)