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Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7)

On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Circling the globe three times, his flight lasted a total of 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds before the Friendship 7 spacecraft splashed down in the ocean.

NASA Project Mercury astronaut.
Portrait of John H. Glenn, Jr.
Mercury astronaut John Glenn prepares for a test in the Multi-Axis Space Test Inertia Facility (MASTIF) inside the Altitude Wind...
Glenn sitting in gimble rig.
S61-04546 (1961) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) "Friendship 7" mission, takes part in...
Dr. von Braun briefs Astronaut John Glenn in the control room of the Vehicle Test Section, Quality Assurance Division, Marshall...
Dr. von Braun and Astronaut John Glenn
Astronaut John Glenn, suited with hose to suit ventilation unit attached, is seen preparing to board his Mercury spacecraft inside...
John Glenn is wearing his space suit preparing to board the Mercury spacecraft inside the Hangar S altitude chamber.
Project Mercury Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., prime pilot for the MA-6 mission, takes a work-out in the procedures trainer...
John Glenn, suited in his silver space suit, works in the procedures trainer for the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.
Astronaut John H. Glenn sits in a car in front of the east side of the Mercury Mission Control building....
Astronaut John H. Glenn sits in a car in front of the east side of the Mercury Mission Control building.
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. in his silver Mercury spacesuit during pre- flight training activities at Cape Canaveral.
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. in his silver Mercury spacesuit during pre- flight training activities at Cape Canaveral.
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. dons his silver Mercury pressure suit in preparation for launch. On February 20, 1962 Glenn...
NASA astronaut John Glenn in silver spacesuit
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., wearing a Mercury pressure suit, is photographed at Cape Canaveral, Florida, during preflight training activities...
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., wearing a Mercury pressure suit during preflight training activities.
Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., in his Mercury flight suit.
john glenn portrait
In February 1962, Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. looks into a globe, technically the "Celestial Training Device" at the Aeromedical...
John Glenn looks into a globe during Gemini training, February, 1962
Prime astronaut John Glenn and backup pilot Scott Carpenter check over notes after a simulated flight prior to the Mercury-Atlas...
John Glenn, wearing his space suit, goes over notes on a piece of paper with backup pilot Scott Carpenter.
Astronaut nurse Delores B. O'Hara, R.N., in the Aeromedical Laboratory at Cape Canaveral, Florida, takes a blood sample from Mercury...
Blood drawn from John Glenn before launch.
Astronaut John Glenn inspects artwork that will be painted on the outside of his Mercury spacecraft, which he nicknamed Friendship...
Inspecting Friendship 7
Chrysler Aerospace artist Cecelia Bibby paints Friendship 7 on NASA astronaut John Glenn's Mercury spacecraft in early 1962. After selecting...
Cecelia Bibby and John Glenn
62-MA6-55 (1962) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight, poses for a photo...
John Glenn poses in his space suit with the Friendship 7 spacecraft
Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., undergoes a simulated orbital flight as part of his training for Project Mercury in the...
Astronaut John Glenn in spacecraft simulator
John H. Glenn, one of the Mercury Seven Astronauts, runs through a training exercise in the Mercury Procedures Trainer at...
John Glenn in the Mercury Procedures Trainer, a spacecraft simulator
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 6 Earth-orbital space mission, suits up on the crew quarters at...
John Glenn Suits up in Crew Quarters
John Glenn and Scott Carpenter go over the flight plan for the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission at Cape Canaveral, Florida in...
John Glenn and Scott Carpenter with flight plan
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 6 Earth-orbital space mission, is suited up at Cape Canaveral, Florida,...
John Glenn suits up during preflight activities.
In this image from January 23, 1962, Glenn gives ready sign during Mercury-Atlas 6 pre- launch training activities.
John Glenn
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. (left), Dr. William Douglas, astronauts flight surgeon, and equipment specialist Joe Schmitt leave crew quarters...
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. (left), Dr. William Douglas, astronauts flight surgeon, and equipment specialist Joe Schmitt walk down a hall as they leave crew quarters prior to Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) mission.
Picture dated 1962 showing US astronaut John Glenn about to get into the Mercury capsule Friendship 7 for a space...
glenn_leaving_hangar_s_on_way_to_pad_for_launch
Astronaut John Glenn enters the Mercury spacecraft, Friendship 7, prior to the launch of Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) on Feb. 20,...
Astronaut John Glenn enters the Mercury spacecraft, Friendship 7, prior to the launch of Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) on Feb. 20, 1962.
On Feb. 20, 1962, John Glenn made history by becoming the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the place we call...
John Glenn ingressing the Mercury-Atlas 6 spacecraf
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Launch of Friendship 7, the first manned orbital space flight. Astronaut John Glenn aboard, the Mercury-Atlas...
The Friendship 7 spacecraft launches from Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral on the Atlas rocket with a huge plume of exhaust clouds.
Astronaut John Glenn in the Friendship 7 capsule during the first manned orbital flight, the MA-6 mission. Boosted by the...
John Glenn in his Friendship 7 capsule
A camera aboard the "Friendship 7" Mercury spacecraft photographs Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr. as he uses a photometer to...
Close-up photo of astronaut John Glenn inside the Friendship 7 spacecraft during his orbital flight on February 20, 1962
On Feb. 20, 1962, John H. Glenn, Jr., became the first American to orbit Earth.
This photograph of John Glenn during his Mercury-Atlas 6 spaceflight was taken by a camera onboard the spacecraft.
S62-06040 (20 Feb. 1962) --- Orbital sunset photographed by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. aboard the "Friendship 7" during his...
Airglow over the Earth is seen from the dark side of the planet during John Glenn's flight in Earth orbit.
S62-06021 (20 Feb. 1962) --- A view of clouds over the Indian Ocean as photographed by astronaut John H. Glenn...
President John F. Kennedy is briefed on the operation of Mercury Control Center following the Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) flight. MA-6...
President Kennedy at mission control center with astronaut John Glenn and flight director Chris Kraft
Astronaut John Glenn relaxes aboard the USS Noa after being recovered from the Atlantic near Grand Turk Island after his...
Relaxing on Deck
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 6 spaceflight, relaxes aboard the carrier U.S.S. Randolph following his Earth-orbital...
Closeup of John Glenn in flight suit
S64-14861 (1962) --- Department of Defense (DOD) recovery personnel and spacecraft technicians from NASA and McDonnell Aircraft Corp., inspect astronaut...
Astronaut John Glenn Jr. is honored by President John F. Kennedy after Glenn's historical first manned orbital flight, Mercury-Atlas 6....
President John F. Kennedy stands at a podium in front of the Manned Spacecraft Center to honor astronaut John Glenn, Jr.
President John F. Kennedy pins a NASA Distinguished Service Medal on astronaut John Glenn Jr. following his historic three-orbit flight,...
President John F. Kennedy pins a NASA Distinguished Service Medal on astronaut John Glenn Jr. at the Manned Spacecraft Center.
Following ceremonies at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Hangar S on Feb. 23, 1962, astronaut John Glenn, left, describes his...
Astronaut John Glenn stands next to the Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft as he talks to his wife, Annie and President John F. Kennedy. A large group of people surround them.