about how all of us as humans are trying to work to leave our planet and someday move out into the solar system forever. when you say fly again, i think it s important to remind everyone not just what he did on the friendship 7, but he was 77 when he got to go back into space. yeah, that s right. on his second flight aboard the space shuttle. he was quite a bit older than on his first flight. i think he was too precious to let fly again so soon after his first flight and it took a while before folks found a way to fly him into space again. we astronauts talk about flying, of course when you re in or bit around the earth we re not really flying, you re spot supported by air but that s the way we describe it when you re in a spacecraft. ken bowersox, appreciate you picking up the phone as an astronaut mourning the loss of one of your own here, john glenn passing away at the age of 59.
on, over. roger. understand. so normally, the plan is you fire the retro rockets and let them go. but now it becomes clear if glenn does that, he might be burned alive. he went through this period of intense ion buildup where you lose contact with him. 7, this is cape, do you read, over? friendship 7, this is cape, do you read, over? hello, mercury recovery, this is friendship 7, do you read me if. roger, read you loud and clear, how are you doing? that was a real fireball, boy. i express the great happiness and thanksgiving all of us that colonel glenn has completed his trip, and i know that this is particularly felt by mrs. glenn and his two children. it was quite a day. i don t know what you can say about a day in which you see four beautiful sunsets in one day but it s pretty interesting.
this is mercury control. friendship 7 spacecraft is now committed to its third orbit. looks good. we ll see you back. all right, boy. shortly before he s supposed to re-enter the atmosphere, the word comes that there is a possibility that glenn s heat shield has detached from the base of the capsule. go ahead, spaceflight, go ahead. we have decided to re-enter with the tank on. this is friendship 7. what is the reason for this? do you have any reason, over? the only thing holding the heat shield on are three straps, which are attached to the retro rockets. we feel it s far safer to re-enter with the retro rockets
we re under way. on february 20th, 1962, john glenn, in a space shut dubbed friendship 7 became the first american to orbit the earth. oh, that view is tremendous. we choose to go to the moon in this decade and dot other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. the mercury program would ultimately have six manned flights. each mission a step closer to the ultimate goal. then, as mercury was winding down, on november 22nd, 1963, president kennedy was assassinated. to honor his memory and the future of the works that he started, the nasa law enforcement operation center in florida shall hear hereafter be known as the john f. kennedy space center. in april 1964, gemini was launched. it was a two-man spacecraft.
we re under way. on february 20th, 1962, john glenn, in a space shut dubbed friendship 7 became the first american to orbit the earth. oh, that view is tremendous. we choose to go to the moon in this decade and dot other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. the mercury program would ultimately have six manned flights. each mission a step closer to the ultimate goal. then, as mercury was winding down, on november 22nd, 1963, president kennedy was assassinated. to honor his memory and the future of the works that he started, the nasa law enforcement operation center in florida shall hear hereafter be known as the john f. kennedy space center. in april 1964, gemini was launched. it was a two-man spacecraft.