John Glenn

John Glenn was born in 1921 and grew up in Cambridge, Ohio. He married his childhood sweetheart, Anna Castor. They had two children, David and Carolyn. He went to college in Ohio and then entered the Marine Corps. He flew planes in World War II and later flew for the Air Force, receiving several medals for his service.

In 1959, John Glenn joined NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), where astronauts train for spaceflight. He was one of the first Mercury astronauts and piloted the first manned spacecraft to orbit Earth. After completing three orbits, he became a national hero.

Glenn then ran for the U.S. Senate in Ohio and won in 1974, after several earlier attempts. He was re-elected in 1980 and 1986. Yet his time in space was not over. In 1998, at age 77, he flew on a second space mission to help scientists study the effects of spaceflight on older adults.