Godspeed, John Glenn

[Tom B.]

John Glenn, American hero, aviation icon and former U.S. senator, dies at 95

[Indoor66]

RIP to a real pioneer of the exploration of space.

[devildeac]

Ground control to Major John...

Quite the life he lived. RIP.

[moonpie23]

that was a heady time....for america and the world....

sail on, john...sail on...

[DukieInKansas]

An amazing man. RIP, sir.

[Bob Green]

The Space Race was exciting times. Here's wishing you Fair Winds and Following Seas, Mr. Glenn!

[Olympic Fan]

The word "hero" is often cheapened by loose usage, but it's definitely appropriate here.

Glenn's whole life and his combat career (how neat that he flew combat missions alongside Ted Williams?) was heroic enough, but what he did as a Mercury astronaut takes it to another level.

John Glenn and his fellow Mercury Seven came along at a time when the Americans were embarrassed and a little afraid by the Russian success in space. All seven were anointed as national heroes -- and Glenn, of course, was the number one guy on the list when he became the first "free man" to orbit earth. I almost think you had to be around in 1963 to understand what Glenn's flight meant to America.

Thomas Wolfe (the author) and director Phillip Kauffman captured the deification of the Mercury Seven in the film "The Right Stuff". I know the point of the book/film was to contrast the over-the-top worship of the astronauts with the quiet heroism of the unknown test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield. But even if the adoration did go over the top, it doesn't diminish the fact that the astronauts WERE heroes -- even Yeager made that point.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

[accfanfrom1970]

I'm a huge John Glenn fan, because my dad was a huge John Glenn fan. My dad was the Chief Petty officer aboard the USS Randolph, the primary recovery ship for Glenn's splashdown. The USS Noa was closer and picked up Glenn, then he was transferred to the Randolph where my dad was in charge of his stay and party. Hearing those stories growing up, ready about Glenn, loving "The Right Stuff" made me a fan. One of my prized possessions from my dad is a Friendship 7 mission patch, along with a John Glenn signature on a USS Randolph dated envelope framed....

God Speed John Glenn....

[Wander]

The word "hero" is often cheapened by loose usage, but it's definitely appropriate here.

I get the feeling that a ton of people born after the 70's (of which I am one) don't realize that astronauts died outside of the two space shuttle disasters. It's a dangerous business.

Our space program is still one of the most amazing things about the country, and something we're unquestionably by far the best in the world at. But the human exploration component is lagging behind, due to politicians of all parties outside a few guys in space-relevant states. I'm agnostic as to whether these private spaceflight experiments are going to remedy that, but it will be interesting to watch.

[Mike Corey]

Sen. Glenn was a great inspiration to many across generations, from his service in the Marines--in which he enlisted after the attack on Pearl Harbor--during WWII and the Korean War, to his time as an astronaut, to his 24 years in the U.S. Senate. He lived in a condo tower outside of Downtown Columbus with his beloved wife Annie, a fitting view from the sky over a world he had seen from a perspective few others ever have or ever will.