Astronaut and former US Senator John Glenn dies at 95

[ucfgrad93]

Very sad news. What a great man he was, a real American hero.

John Glenn, the all-American astronaut and senator who rocketed into history on flights 36 years apart as the first American to orbit the Earth and the oldest person in space, died Thursday, Dec. 8 at age 95.

Glenn, who was known for his small-town decency and calm heroics, was the last of the original Mercury 7 astronauts who launched the US space program. He later served for nine years as a Democratic senator from Ohio.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/08/astronaut-and-former-us-senator-john-glenn-dies-at-95.html

 

[PracticalMac]

A pioneer and brave pilot

 

[Doctor Q]

It took incredible bravery to be an astronaut in the early days of the Space Program. Not to mention that Glenn was a pilot in the Marines too.

 

[ucfgrad93]

It took incredible bravery to be an astronaut in the early days of the Space Program. Not to mention that Glenn was a pilot in the Marines too.

Flew 149 missions in World War II and the Korean War.

 

[dk001]

We have sadly lost an extraordinary individual.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Wow, 2016 has been a hell of a year.

RIP John.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Just spotted a report on the death of John Glenn (and his obit) in the Guardian, and came here to check whether a thread had been started to discuss it; well done, @ucfgrad93.

What an astonishing life and an extraordinary career. A genuine hero in so many ways.

 

[JamesMike]

Having been so lucky to have met him, it is nice to shack hands with an outstanding person.

 

[japanime]

One of the greatest human beings of the Greatest Generation. RIP, Senator Glenn.

 

[Doctor Q]

Having been so lucky to have met him, it is nice to shack hands with an outstanding person.

Wow, that must have been memorable. I've had the good fortune to meet three NASA astronauts on separate occasions (one because of a MacRumors friend who got me an invitation!), but never Mr. Glenn.

It's interesting to note that John Glenn's full name was John Herschel Glenn Jr. and that his father, John Glenn Sr., was a plumber. Could he have ever imagined the scope of his son's accomplishments?

 

[Doctor Q]

John Glenn was one of 18 tech luminaries who left us in 2016, as summarized in this slideshow. Or click here to go straight to John Glenn's summary.

 

[gkarris]

God, I hate 2016...

 

[JamesMike]

This has been a tough week!