John Glenn orbits the earth

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Domains

Extraterrestrial space travel

Dates

Date of occurrence 1962-02-20

Places

United States (Location)

Resources

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In 1962, John Herschel Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth. Soviet Yuri Gagarin was the first in space and first person to orbit the earth. Glenn’s space capsule, Friendship 7, was sent into space on 20 February. His altitude ranged from 99 miles high to 162 miles high, and he made three earth orbits before landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Glenn later became a Senator from Ohio. He served three terms.

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72 words

Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "John Glenn orbits the earth". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=3397, accessed 07 May 2024.]

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