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NASA Television to Air Service Honoring Legacy of John Glenn

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NASA

Apr 05, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORYM17-040
NASA astronaut John Glenn in silver spacesuit
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. dons his silver Mercury pressure suit in preparation for launch. On February 20, 1962 Glenn lifted off into space aboard his Mercury Atlas (MA-6) rocket and became the first American to orbit the Earth. After orbiting the Earth 3 times, Friendship 7 landed in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds later, just East of Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas. Glenn and his capsule were recovered by the Navy Destroyer Noa, 21 minutes after splashdown. Credits: NASA

NASA Television will provide coverage of the interment service for NASA astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn at 9 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 6, live from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Glenn, who served four terms as a senator from Ohio, was one of NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts. His flight on Friendship 7 on Feb. 20, 1962, showed the world that America was a serious contender in the space race with the Soviet Union. He will always be remembered as the first American to orbit the Earth during those tentative, challenging, daring days when humans were just beginning to venture beyond the atmosphere that had nurtured them since the species began.

For more information about Glenn’s life and legacy, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/johnglenn

Images from the service will be posted to Flickr following the service. View these images at:

Black Space Week 2024 at the NMAAHC (NHQ202406170031)

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

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Karen Northon
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1540
karen.northon@nasa.gov