20 February 1962: Aboard the Mercury capsule Friendship 7, John Glenn (1921-2016), U.S.M.C., became the third American in space &, famously, the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three orbits; a warning light before re-entry was later found to be the result of a faulty sensor; after splashdown & recovery, Glenn embarked on a global publicity tour nicknamed the "Fourth Orbit."
Commentary: In the far-famed words of Scott Carpenter, Mercury-Atlas 6 capsule communicator (CAPCOM) & Mercury-Atlas 7 astronaut, "Godspeed, John Glenn."
I made a mess of commemorating the Apollo Program, not recalling, 'til I commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11 that I'd failed to commemorate the gold anniversaries of Apollo 7, Apollo 8, Apollo 9, & Apollo 10. I've subsequently marked the fifty-first anniversary of Apollo 8 & plan to catch each Apollo mission as it comes around, fiftieth, fifty-first, fifty-second, whatever. I am undecided what to do about the Mercury & Gemini programs. Ought I mark those dates as they come up, even if they aren't on a "round number" anniversary, as I'm doing today with the fifty-eighth anniversary of John Glenn & Friendship 7 (Mercury 6)? Or ought I wait &, heaven permitting, mark the sixtieth (diamond) anniversaries in 2021-2026? I've made my choice for today, but consistency has never been my strong suit.
Bonus! Space Race Song o' Mercury-Atlas 6
Billy Joel, "We Didn't Start the Fire" from Storm Front (Space Cadet St. Mike Papa Whiskey)
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