20 Feb 12. The name still resonates and generates goose bumps like few others in the world of spaceflight. John Glenn. Even astronauts — not just the rest of us mere mortals — get mushy talking about Project Mercury’s “clean Marine” who led the country’s charge into orbit. As the world’s most enduring and endearing spaceman gets set to celebrate what no other living astronaut has done — mark the 50th anniversary of his own spaceflight — he finds himself in overdrive reflecting on what has been an undeniably charmed, golden life. First American to orbit theEarth, aboard Friendship 7 on Feb. 20, 1962. Oldest person to fly inspace, at age 77 aboard shuttle Discovery in 1998. U.S. senator for four terms and one-time presidential candidate. Namesake of a NASA center as well as a university’s school of public affairs. Now 90 and living in Columbus, Ohio, Glenn just recently gave up flying and sold his twin-engine Beechcraft Baron. It was tough hopping up on a wing to climb aboard the plane. Glenn and his wife, Annie, who turns 92 on Friday, both had knee replacements last year.
“We decided it was time to pack it in,” Glenn said.
Besides, his goal was to fly the plane until 90, “and I did that.”
With so many blessings and accomplishments, there’s still one brass ring Glenn wishes he’d snagged: Apollo 11, the first manned moon landing in 1969. It’s a sentiment he’s shared often with Neil Armstrong, Ohio’s other revered son and the first man to set foot on the moon.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of great experiences in my life, and I’m thankful for them. So I don’t see myself as being envious. But in his case, I’ll make an exception,” Glenn said, laughing, during an interview late last month with The Associated Press. Armstrong, for his part, would like one day to be in Glenn’s shoes “and have as much success in longevity.” He called the milestone “the most significant of all the space anniversaries.” (Source: Military.com/AP)