John Glenn 1921 - 2016

[Sirota]

Former U.S. astronaut and Senator John Glenn died on Thursday at age 95 at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, the Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-glenn-first-american-to-orbit-the-earth-dead-at-95/

Another hero gone. I'm feeling sad and old.

God Speed John Glenn

[Frank Giger]

Fair winds and a following sea, sir, on your way to the Lord.

[Floatsflyer]

I was 12 years old and my school gathered us in the gym to watch the TV broadcast of the lift off of John Glenn's historic voyage. It was also the first time I heard the phrase "God speed John Glenn" by Walter Cronkite(btw, I would spent a full day with Cronkite 30 years later at Banff and Lake Louise...really). Till this day I don't know what "God speed" means. Could someone let me know, thanks.

[martymayes]

"an expression of good wishes to a person starting a journey"


Definitely appropriate here

[Floatsflyer]

Thanks Marty. Yes, most appropriate for all the space launches but I don't recall the expression being used with any other astronaut or space mission.

[gbrasch]

He was my 1st hero, I was 10 years old. I like his recent phrase "There is no cure for the common birthday." What a great man...

[psween]

Was in college in Florida when he went back up on the Shuttle. Launch was delayed, like always, and I missed the beginning of a final exam just to be able to say I saw him go up again. I'm too young to have been around the first time he went up, so this was the next best thing. Sad to see the last of that first generation disappear.

Patrick

[1600vw]

I was maybe 5 or 6 when he went up the first time. I remember not wanting to miss one episode on tv of his flights with the Apollo program . He too was my first hero.

Tony

[Floatsflyer]

Tony, Glenn never participated in the Apollo program, only Mercury. Years later, in the 1990's, he became the oldest person ever to go into space with the Shuttle.

[Bob H]

It was on a Tuesday in Feb 1962 and my first day working for "Hughes Tool Co-Aircraft Division" as a flight test engineer on Hughes helicopters. They were having issues with the Lycoming 320 engines and sent me to Traco, an engine shop with a dyno in Culver City, CA. The guys had a radio on with Glenn's flight narrated from liftoff to splashdown. The flight was cut short after 3 orbits because of concern about security of the heat shield to the capsule. During reentry, the ionization of the atmosphere blocked communications for 2-3 minutes and we all listened anxiously to hear his voice. He finally was heard "A-OK". That day and his flight started my career in aerospace for the next 42 yrs.