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| Messages 1 - 18 of total 18 in this topic |
Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2012 - 03:25pm PT
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Because he singlehandedly fought off the godless commies, closed the missile gap, and had a ticker tape parade in New York, perhaps. And was a stereotypical American from a small town in Ohio. Married childhood sweetheart, still happily married. Served in World War II and Korea. Military career. Set record for speed flight across the US. Active in local mainstream church. Served as a moderate senator for 24 years. Finally got to fly in space again in 1999. The last American hero, as has been said.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Feb 20, 2012 - 03:33pm PT
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he orbited...
there are a lot old, obscure routes on Sentinel Rock that are forgotten in the wake of the Steck-Salathé...
you know why in that instance, I assume.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Feb 20, 2012 - 03:33pm PT
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John Glenn gets the (US) fame because he was the first USA astronaut to go an entire orbit around the Earth in "Friendship 7", not just a parabolic shot into space.
He was also the standout leader of the Mercury Mission astronauts it seems. At least from the movie "The Right Stuff" you certainly get that impression.
Then he got to go back into space as a retired Senator on a Space shuttle mission. He is the oldest US citizen to go into space, as far as we know.
On the sitcom "Frasier" he openly admits we are not alone in a very comical way, so as not to tick-off NASA. He now can always say he told us. We just have to read between the lines.
http://www.enterprisemission.com/glenn.htm
http://www.rense.com/general9/glenn.htm
See 15 min mark on this video clip on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj8sBOxx22E
My mother named me after John Glenn.
Glenn
"Klimmer"
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2012 - 03:59pm PT
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And I slept through the whole thing. It was this guy's fault.
But I was wide awake on July 20th, 1969.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Feb 20, 2012 - 04:06pm PT
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I watched all of the launches through the first space shuttle
launch and landing on TV. Live. Those guys all had guts.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Feb 20, 2012 - 06:27pm PT
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It's unreal how much things changed between Mercury and Apollo in less than a decade. it's insane they were able to pull of the moon landing so fast.
The have a mockup of the Mercury Control Room at Kennedy Space Center. It's SO old fashioned it's scary. The have a board with a little capsule on a wire that mechanically moved along the board to show were in the flight they were. The phones/headsets/monitors were so basic and antiquated it's hard to believe they actually worked.
In contrast the strides they made for the technology for Apollo were amazing. It looked like a century had gone by between them, not less than a decade.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Feb 20, 2012 - 06:33pm PT
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I had the good fortune to get to know and work with Glen's wing-man from Korea.
He owned a mechanical contracting company, I an electrical contractor and we'd team up on projects.
In Korea he flew the first generation carrier based jets equipped as photo reconnaissance aircraft, the guns replaced with cameras.
His take was that Glen sold out to the highest bidder once he got into politics and his political persona wasn't the same guy he knew in Korea.
He died rather suddenly a year or so after I closed up shop. A few years later I ran into his son who was then running the business. He told me of a box full of medals and commendation certificates that his dad had that he'd never mentioned to anyone. A really quiet modest guy.
Given the difference in age and at the time experience, I now realize it was probably the other way around from how he described it.
Glen was flying cover for him.
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jstan
climber
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Feb 20, 2012 - 06:42pm PT
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I read that during WW11 Glen flew 59 missions in the South Pacific. In Korea his mates called him "magnetass" because his planes always came back riddled with flak. Flying low level attacks with unbroken streams of flak coming up took real courage and even more determination.
Going into space required the same.
He was a natural for the job.
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splitter
Trad climber
Hodad surfing the galactic plane
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Feb 20, 2012 - 07:08pm PT
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"Going into space required the same"
ain't that the TRUTH.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Feb 20, 2012 - 09:25pm PT
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1st, 3rd, 5th, 100th..
either way it's pretty BAD ASS to pull that off.
I would go in a heart beat if i could..
solid dude for sure..
ks
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2012 - 09:26pm PT
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I always thought it was neat that his middle name is Herschel.
As jstan says, if you regularly get your plane shot up it suggests that you're really doing your job, or perhaps unlucky. Pretty objective evidence, though.
No guesses about the photo?
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Feb 20, 2012 - 10:45pm PT
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John Glenn will always be an Icon of mine, and he represents a vanishing breed of aviators/astronuts.
I recently read a very good biography of Alan Shepard, which explored the relationships among the astronauts who were the Mercury 7.
There was quite a bit of infighting to see who would be the first of that group to fly an orbital mission; NASA wanted Shepard again, since he had the greatest test pilot experience and was regarded as the best pilot of the best of the best. Glenn ran a political campaign within the NASA administration, claiming that he "was next in the sequence of the original 7." John Glenn prevailed, and the rest as they say, is history...
Godspeed, John Glenn.
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CrackAddict
Trad climber
Canoga Park, CA
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Feb 21, 2012 - 08:46pm PT
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Glenn was in an interview on NPR yesterday. 90 years old and sharp as a tack!
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Gary
climber
That Long Black Cloud Is Coming Down
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Feb 21, 2012 - 09:22pm PT
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After seeing the Mercury capsule at the Smithsonian, I wonder how those guys managed to get in that little hatch with those humongous balls. It's like riding to space in a 6 volt Beetle.
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