NASA celebrates the 50th Anniversary of John Glenn's orbital space flight. Glenn's flight ushered in a new era for space travel. John Glenn, America's first astronaut to orbit Earth, launched aboard his Friendship 7 Mercury capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. At the end of the mission, Friendship 7 splashed down into the ocean and Glenn was honored by President John F. Kennedy and celebrated as a hero across America.

NASA