RIP Astronaut John Glenn

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PumpDee said:
Dead at 95 years old.
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Just too bad it was shot on a sound stage instead of on location. :coffee:

But seriously,

RIP to a great and truly iconic American.

BostonTim
 
First American to orbit the earth, ace pilot (with Ted Williams) in Korea, long time US Senator, returned to orbit in his 70s. All around iconic figure.

He was briefly a Presidential candidate in 1984 and I saw him speak when I was in college. He was a pretty decent speaker and I was surprised that his candidacy went nowhere.
 
RIP a truly great man.

~Dee~
 
He got sent up before the technology was ready and he knew it but was brave enough to go up anyway. RIP
 
He was the last of the Mercury 7.
The astronauts of the 60's were heroes to the baby boom generation and they are fast disappearing.
He did enough in his time for several lifetimes. A true hero.
 
chevss454 said:
He got sent up before the technology was ready and he knew it but was brave enough to go up anyway. RIP
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That's a fact.

You don't get into a Mercury capsule, you wear it.

Godspeed John Glenn, Godspeed.
 
Guys like Glenn are a rare commodity. Absolute balls of steel, he and his colleagues.
Amazing life and someone I admire greatly.

Little known fact... he was Ted Williams' wingman in the Korean War. Look it up.
 
It seems I heard his name constantly when I was a kid; he was always in the news.

Another hero gone.
 
Beaglebay said:
It seems I heard his name constantly when I was a kid; he was always in the news.

Another hero gone.
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Me too. When I was 7 or so there were a couple of guys who seemed more like Gods than men to me. He and Alan Shephard were two along with JFK, John Lennon and Tony Conigliaro.

Who do kids that age look up to nowadays? Does it still work like that?

Apropos of nothing, here is a quote from Shephard that I'm sure got a laugh out of John Glenn, although he'd never admit it in public:

It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.
 
Hawg73 said:
Me too. When I was 7 or so there were a couple of guys who seemed more like Gods than men to me. He and Alan Shephard were two along with JFK, John Lennon and Tony Conigliaro.

Who do kids that age look up to nowadays? Does it still work like that?

Apropos of nothing, here is a quote from Shephard that I'm sure got a laugh out of John Glenn, although he'd never admit it in public:

It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.
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The astronauts and space program were a big part of my life. Those guys were my heroes. I was 8 when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon. That day is still crystal clear in my memory. They were bigger than life to me. In the early 70's, Fitchburg opened a brand new Civic Center/Planetarium. One of the first events was a visit from some Apollo astronauts and the place was packed full to see them and my dad made sure I was in the stands.

I really miss those days. They were the modern day explorers.
 
bideau said:
The astronauts and space program were a big part of my life. Those guys were my heroes. I was 8 when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon. That day is still crystal clear in my memory. They were bigger than life to me. In the early 70's, Fitchburg opened a brand new Civic Center/Planetarium. One of the first events was a visit from some Apollo astronauts and the place was packed full to see them and my dad made sure I was in the stands.

I really miss those days. They were the modern day explorers.
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No question about it. I devoured everything I could about the space program and am still very interested in the topic and keep up with it. John Glenn was the Big Cheese among kids of the day because he was the first to complete an orbit, but I can recall arguing that Shephard was a bigger deal because he was the first in space. I couldn't understand why a complete revolution of the Earth made him irrelevant, but the point is-- little kids talked about that stuff and idolized those guys.

I never saw any actual astronauts in person like you, but I did meet Major Mudd at the Sportsmen's Show, so......pretty much the same thing.
 
bideau said:
The astronauts and space program were a big part of my life. Those guys were my heroes. I was 8 when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon. That day is still crystal clear in my memory. They were bigger than life to me. In the early 70's, Fitchburg opened a brand new Civic Center/Planetarium. One of the first events was a visit from some Apollo astronauts and the place was packed full to see them and my dad made sure I was in the stands.

I really miss those days. They were the modern day explorers.
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That's awesome that you got to see those guys. Eugene Cernan from Apollo 17released a biopic last year called "The Last man on the moon". I'd urge any of you to watch it, as it's utterly fantastic. Just an amazing story. It's on Netflix or Comcast on demand.
I wrote him a note to tell him how much I enjoyed it and was thrilled to get a note back from him. As close as I'll get to meeting an astronaut.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5R5az0yBLGI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I remember being so fascinated by our chosen first astronauts. In school we listened on the radio for Alan Shepard's and John Glenn's adventures. I watched all the news there was and read whatever I could on all these pioneers.
I agree - we had real heroes when we were kids.
RIP John Glenn.

Gina
 
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