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Table of Contents
John Glenn was a NASA astronaut. He was part of the first group of astronauts NASA picked. He was the first American to orbit Earth. He also became a U.S. senator. Later, he became the oldest person to fly in space.
See the fact file below for more information on the John Glenn or alternatively, you can download our 26-page John Glenn worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
- John Herschel Glenn, Jr., was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio. He died on December 8, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 95.
- His parents were John Herschel Glenn, Sr., (plumbing firm employee) and Clara Teresa Glenn (teacher).
- He spent his elementary years at New Concord Elementary School. He was a newspaper boy and a Ohio Rangers Scout member.
- John developed an early interest in science, a fascination with flying, and a sense of patriotism.
- Glenn attended New Concord High School, where he played on the varsity football, basketball, and tennis teams.
- Glenn later entered Muskingum College, where he studied chemistry.
- During that period, he earned a private pilot’s license and a physics course credit for free through the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1941.
- By the next year, Glenn joined the American war effort by entering into the Naval Aviation Cadet Program.
- In World War 2, he flew 59 combat missions as a Marine fighter pilot on the Pacific front.
- In the Korean War, he flew 63 missions as a Marine pilot and another 27 as an Air Force pilot.
- Glenn then enrolled in the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School and joined the Naval Air Test Center.
- In 1957, he set a new speed record for traveling from Los Angeles to New York in three hours and 23 minutes on a flight dubbed “Project Bullet”.
SPACE ENDEAVOR, POLITICS, AND BACK
- In 1959, Glenn was selected for the U.S. Space Program. He and six other pilots trained for their space mission and were soon called the “Mercury 7”.
- On February 20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 “Friendship 7” spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States.
- President John F. Kennedy presented him with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and he was considered an American hero.
- He continued to rise in the ranks to Colonel, but he remained to serve as an advisor to NASA until 1964. The following year, he retired from the Marine Corps.
- He then sought the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. However, an accident resulting in a concussion forced Glenn to leave the race.
- Although Glenn lost in the 1970 senatorial race, he was elected as U.S. senator from that state in 1974. He was then re-elected three times thereafter.
- Rooting from his education and scientific experience, Glenn campaigned for more funds for space exploration, science, and education.
- In 1980, Glenn made a bid to become the Democratic presidential candidate, but he withdrew and Walter Mondale received the nomination.
- John Glenn returned to space as a payload specialist on a nine-day mission (STS-95) aboard the space shuttle Discovery on October 29, 1998.
- The oldest person ever to travel in space, at 77 years old, he then participated in experiments on the Spacehab module.
- It studied the similarities between the aging process and the body’s response to weightlessness.
- Glenn was awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal in 1998 for flying on the STS-95 mission.
- Then, in 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
PERSONAL LIFE
- Glenn met his future wife, Annie, when they were children in New Concord, Ohio.
- They had two children – John David and Carolyn Ann.
- After his retirement, Glenn and his wife founded the John Glenn College for Public Service at the Ohio State University.
- Its mission is to improve the quality of public service and to encourage young people to pursue careers in government.
- Glenn was the last of NASA’s first class of astronauts.
- He was the first American to orbit Earth from space, and he orbited the globe more than 100 times.
- Five high schools were named after him.
John Glenn Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the John Glenn across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use John Glenn worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about John Glenn who was a NASA astronaut. He was part of the first group of astronauts NASA picked. He was the first American to orbit Earth. He also became a U.S. senator. Later, he became the oldest person to fly in space.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- John Glenn Facts
- The Modern Astronaut
- Humanity’s Space Firsts
- From Glenn’s View
- Multi-Career Glenn
- The Mercury 7
- The Race to Space
- What’s in Space?
- Mythbusters
- The Next Big Project
- Glenn Acrostics
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Link will appear as John Glenn Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 4, 2020
Use With Any Curriculum
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