Coachella Valley remembers John Glenn
The nation is remembering the first American to orbit the Earth, Nasa Astronaut and Ohio Senator John Glenn. Glenn passed away Thursday at the age of 95. An Ohio state official said Glenn had been hospitalized for more than a week leading up to his passing.
John Herschel Glenn Jr. made history in 1962 when he completed a three-orbit flight in a cramped space capsule dubbed Friendship 7. He later served for nearly a quarter-century as a US senator. In 1998, he returned to space at age 77, becoming the oldest person to ever do so.
“Today, the first American to orbit the Earth, NASA astronaut and Ohio Senator John Glenn, passed away. We mourn this tremendous loss for our nation and the world. As one of NASA’s original Mercury 7 astronauts, Glenn’s riveting flight aboard Friendship 7 on Feb. 20, 1962, united our nation, launched America to the forefront of the space race, and secured for him a unique place in the annals of history,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
President Obama presented John Glenn with a Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, May 29, 2012, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington.
The Coachella Valley is also remembering the space pioneer.
John Glenn Middle School in Indio was opened in 2001. District officials said the choice of his name was from a list narrowed down and voted on by the school board, however, there is no local connection tied to the name. Glenn never visited the campus, according to Desert Sands Unified School District Spokesperson Mary Perry.
The American Flag was at half staff at John Glenn Middle School on Thursday.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 is planning to talk with officials at the Palm Springs Air Museum to learn more about his legacy.
