Description: On Feb. 20, 1962 at 9:47 am EST, John Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14 to become the first American to orbit the Earth. In this image, Glenn enters his Friendship 7 capsule with assistance from technicians to begin his historic flight. Glenn rejoined NASA in 1998 as a member of the STS-95 Discovery crew. This 9-day mission, from Oct. 29-Nov. 7, supported a variety of research payloads including deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform and investigations on space flight and the aging process. Image Credit: NASA

Collection: NASA Human Spaceflight Collection

Description: S62-00249 (1962) —- View of astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. being fitted with gloves for his space suit during pre-flight training activities at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Glenn is assisted by suit technician Joe Schmitt.