John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, flying a ship called the Friendship 7 around the world in a nearly 5-hour flight on February 20, 1962. Glenn also had political aspirations, running as a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat for Ohio in 1964.
John Glenn, First Astronaut to Orbit the Earth, Dies at 95
![Former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn (C) waves to the crowd at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center for the arrival of space shuttle Discovery (back) while former shuttle commanders applaud in Virginia, April 19, 2012.](https://gdb.voanews.com/A777A90D-4816-4A0C-844F-092299EEFD07_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn (C) waves to the crowd at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center for the arrival of space shuttle Discovery (back) while former shuttle commanders applaud in Virginia, April 19, 2012.
![STS-95 payload specialist John Glenn works with the Osteporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO) experiment located in a locker in the Discovery's middeck, Nov. 18, 1998.](https://gdb.voanews.com/88D13C75-7A3A-407F-854B-2585AE97919A_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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STS-95 payload specialist John Glenn works with the Osteporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO) experiment located in a locker in the Discovery's middeck, Nov. 18, 1998.
![Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, answers questions from the press in Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 18, 1984.](https://gdb.voanews.com/93AC80DA-03BC-4BF1-8805-BDC0B145BEFF_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, answers questions from the press in Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 18, 1984.
![Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) and wife, Anne, wave to crowd that attended a fund raiser in Houston, Dec. 16, 1982. Glenn is exploring the possibility of running for the Democratic nomination for President.](https://gdb.voanews.com/B78662B6-7E22-48B3-A012-50C75CC1C05F_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) and wife, Anne, wave to crowd that attended a fund raiser in Houston, Dec. 16, 1982. Glenn is exploring the possibility of running for the Democratic nomination for President.