God speed John Glenn.
 

A true straight arrow. The last of the original seven, a life well worth living and one of my true childhood legends. Dying with your wife of 73 years. Can't ask for much more than that.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38257445

Blue skies and black heavens.

A fine gent.

F-8 Crusader driver makes good. If you don't know about Project Bullet, Glen's transcontinental speed record, Google it.

I suspect that there will be one hell of a party when he arrives. Wings pair one Halo x1.

The Right Stuff indeed.

God Speed, Senator.

Al R agree completely... RIP.

6 DFCs in two wars (WWII and Korea)! A remarkable man from a remarkable generation. That first ride into space was all about political pressure, trying to match Soviet progress. He had a dodgy heat shield that could have led to a terrible fate. All mere detail for this brave man. Right stuff indeed!

I see that Carter called him, "the most boring man I ever met". Quite apart from the words pots and kettles coming to mind, it rather points to the importance of sticking to what you are good at. John Glenn was good at inspiring young people, like me. Now he is forever free to roam.

God speed John Glenn!

Project Bullet was remarkable, thanks for the heads up.
I'm off to watch the 'The Right Stuff' for about the 30th time in tribute to a great pilot.

Rest in peace, Sir. What a great life. He was the oldest one in the magnificent seven (first astronaut group selected in 1959) and passed the last.


I had a privilege to briefly meet him sometime in 1998 at JSC/Houston when he was getting ready for his Shuttle flight at the age of 77.

He was everything that Yeager wasn't, and will never be.

A truly fine human being in every sense of the word.

My admiration for the Mercury Seven went up 100% after I sat in a mock up of the capsule. Nerves of steel and then some. Brave chaps.

Geek Fact, Gerry Anderson named the Thunderbird pilots after the original Mercury Seven. :8

I did that last night - the wife even enjoyed it.
I still remember the first time I saw "The Right Stuff" in the theater when it first came out - the lovely young lady that had accompanied me whispered - more than one - that she was happy she knew how it was going to turn out :ok:

Indeed, I've used that as a question in a couple of quiz's I written while on OOA Dets.

God Speed, Sir, and Thank You!

In Korea he flew with several RAF pilots aattached to his flight:-
"K-13, Suwon Jan 1953 - Nov 1953

Message: 43330 - William Draper wrote on 2004-05-29 19:54:44,


Unit: 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Comments: I saw several references to this time span, but no one I knew. At this time we had 2 C. O.'s, but Maj. Howell, our exec, was there throughout. There were a couple of British pilots: John Lovell and Jock Maitland. John Glenn, a marine pilot, was there. You all have heard plenty from him since. These are all pilots from B Flight."

'Space' is worth a read too.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_(novel)

I've got a first edition of that (and the Right Stuff). I picked up the copy of Tom Wolfe's book inadvertently by buying it (as old stock as it turned out) from a shop in Ulster. I think now, and wonder how I even found out about it in those pre internet days. Anyway, it turned up, wrapped in plain brown paper, and caused a right drama in Central Registry. I had warned them, but still got a one way discussion with FS RAFP for having the impertinence to buy a book.

I was an engineer at Rockwell working in the mechanical systems group on the Shuttle program at that time. The guy in the office next to me was the SSM responsible for the Shuttle drag chute. Right after main engine ignition, but just prior to ignition of the SRB's, the drag chute heat shield panel broke free, fell and impacted one of the SSME nozzles, and was blasted several hundred yards away by the engine exhaust.

There was a huge concern about whether the drag chute was damaged, since it was considered necessary for a landing at KSC under most conditions. I recall walking up to my office early on the Saturday morning after the launch, and seeing every upper level manager on the Shuttle program squeezed into the office next to mine, frantically trying to make sure nothing was going to happen to America's space hero John Glenn.

Thankfully, everything worked out fine. But I've never seen a more motivated group of managers in my life.

riff raff,

Thanks for a very interesting and insightful comment! I visited KSC several times at that period ('97-'98) in the course of the integration of the first two modules of the ISS and respective crew training. That flight (ISS 2A / STS-88) in Dec '98 followed the one (STS-95) with John Glenn.

Our KSC friends also kindly arranged an in-depth facility tour for us, including OPF (with a Shuttle being under maintenance), VAB and others.

This is a small world.