John Glenn
| John Glenn | |
| Born | July 18, 1921, Cambridge, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Died | December 8, 2016 |
| Nationality | American |
| Category | Astronaut |
| Roles | Mercury astronaut (Friendship 7, 1962); U.S. Senator from Ohio (1974–1999); STS-95 (1998) |
| Notable claim | Saw glowing “fireflies” drifting around Friendship 7 |
| Status | Historical |
| Historical | |
John Herschel Glenn Jr. (1921–2016) was a Marine Corps pilot and one of NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts. On February 20, 1962, aboard Friendship 7, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. He later served four terms as a U.S. senator from Ohio and returned to space on STS-95 in 1998 at age 77.[1]
During his first sunrise in orbit, Glenn reported thousands of small, luminous particles drifting around the capsule, which he called “fireflies.” Later Mercury astronauts used his term, and NASA records released under PURSUE discuss the scientific interest in them.[2]
Assessment
The “fireflies” were identified in 1962 as frost and ice particles shed by the spacecraft and lit by the sun; Scott Carpenter produced a cloud of them by tapping the capsule wall on the next flight. Glenn did not claim to have seen alien craft, and in later interviews said he had never seen a UFO in space.
See also
Further reading
- John Glenn & Nick Taylor (1999). John Glenn: A Memoir (Amazon)
References
- ^ NASA, Results of the First U.S. Manned Orbital Space Flight, February 20, 1962.
- ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Releases 02 and 03, NASA-UAP-D010 to D015.