Fifty Years Ago, Today

John Glenn in space, Feb. 20, 1962

It is worth noting, fifty years ago today: John Glenn orbited the earth three times. A nice photo gallery was presented in the Washington Post, access by clicking here. I remember having a comic book that recounted Alan Shepherd's flight into space. That comic book was where I learned that the United States had a NASA - the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Shepherd and Glenn - they were among those who had the right stuff. It would again be worth while watching the movie by the same name. I'll always remember the quote by the character Chuck Yeager about astronauts strapped to the top of a rocket: "Monkeys? You think a monkey knows he's sittin' on top of a rocket that might explode? These astronaut boys they know that, see? Well, I'll tell you something, it takes a special kind of man to volunteer for a suicide mission, especially one that's on TV."
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A re-enactment of Glenn's flight can be seen by clicking here.