"John Glenn, who launched into orbit for his historic spaceflight 50 years ago, was “no ordinary pilot,” fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong said Monday at a gala marking the anniversary.
Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, said there was a need for leadership in the space program and Glenn “literally rose to the occasion.”
The former astronaut and U.S. senator from Ohio, now 90, 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. He has had his share of accomplishments but recently told The Associated Press he envies Armstrong and wishes he could have been part of the first manned moon landing in 1969.
Glenn and Annie, his wife of almost seven decades, were scheduled to cap Monday’s anniversary by participating in a student-led question-and-answer session during the gala and listening to remarks by former astronaut Mark Kelly, the commander of the space shuttle Endeavour’s final mission. Earlier Monday, NASA had surprised Glenn with the kind of anniversary gift only a space agency can give, enabling him to speak live with the International Space Station from a stage at Ohio State University, where a public affairs school bears his name.
La suite:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73086.html
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