John Glenn was a fearless pilot and astronaut who was born on July 18, 1921, and died on December 8, 2016! He became a huge hero when he was the very first American to orbit the Earth! He flew in a small spaceship named Friendship 7, zipping all the way around our planet three whole times. Everyone cheered as he looked out his tiny window at the big, beautiful oceans below!
Many years later, when John was 77 years old, he blasted off into space again on the Space Shuttle Discovery! This made him the oldest person to ever travel to space! He wanted to help doctors learn how floating in zero gravity affects older people. He loved exploring and showed us that you are never too old to go on a grand adventure!