Mercury Atlas 6 – John Glenn Makes American History

Iain Christie January 7, 2021 Culture, News Leave a comment

On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., became the first American to orbit Earth. Launched from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14, Glenn's Mercury-Atlas 6 "Friendship 7" spacecraft completed a successful three-orbit mission, reaching a maximum altitude (apogee) of approximately 162 statute miles and an orbital velocity of approximately 17,500 miles per hour. The flight lasted a total of 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds before the spacecraft splashed down in the ocean. This photograph of John Glenn during the Mercury-Atlas 6 spaceflight was taken by a camera onboard the spacecraft. Credit: NASA.

In our first installment of the Terranauts Guide to Leaving the Planet of 2021 we discuss John Glenn’s historic Mercury Atlas 6 flight, America’s first human orbital flight.

When we left Project Mercury they had finally managed to have a successful orbital flight.  All of the technologies, techniques and procedures had been tested.  The global tracking network was in place.  There was only one thing left to do.  Put an astronaut in the capsule and get him into orbit … and bring him home, of course.  In this episode NASA finally makes it to the big leagues – getting to orbit and setting a course for the Moon.

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About Terranauts Season 2

This year on Terranauts we’re going to offer a mix of interviews with Terranauts, people who go to space all the time without leaving the planet, and we’re also planning regular instalments of the Terranauts Guide to Leaving the Planet where we explore the history of humankind’s adventures off the planet.

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About Iain Christie

Founder and CEO at SideKickSixtyFive Consulting and host of the Terranauts podcast. Iain is a seasoned business executive with deep understanding of the space business and government procurement policy. Iain worked for 22 years at Neptec including as CEO. He was a VP at the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, is a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management.

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