Remembering John Glenn: See Footage of His Legendary First Orbit of the Earth | National Geographic

Into the soft light of this Florida, Don emerges. Friendship 7 makes its debut to the day of its destiny. The Mercury Atlas stands long, waiting to depart this earth—a quarter of a million pounds of rocket, with thrust equal to three and a half million horsepower, all to hurdle 168 pound astronaut into space.

Astronaut John Glenn of New Concord, Ohio, lieutenant colonel United States Marine Corps, married father of two teenage children. Glenn has been a pilot for over half of his 40 years, has flown in two wars, and, as a veteran test pilot, who five years earlier established a transcontinental flight record as the first man to average supersonic speeds across America, he volunteered for space flight. He is one of seven astronauts selected for Project Mercury, the manned space program directed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Never in all of history have so many people shared an adventure of such magnitude. The time nears, and soon this earth path indicator in the capsule will begin showing John Glenn his changing positions above the world.

“Ladies, check pressurization locks!”

“Taking now a blinking high-level light. You are go.”

“Order systems, girl. Range operations, capsule go. All pre-start power lights are correct. The ready light is on.”

“He checked with the umbilical.”

“I'll evacuate Portree umbilical clear. Mercury is go. It lights on. All recorders to fast. D minus 18 seconds and counting. Engine start!”

“Hey, we will see Ricky from...”

“Oh, good lord! Ride all the way! You've got speed, John Glenn. Ten, nine, eight, seven… [Applause] [Music]”

“Your backup clock is started. One, oxygen 78… [Music] [Applause]”

“Seventy seconds! Leaving a nice paper trail. Now looks real fine. Tape is going. I am go. Dancer is in good shape. All systems are go.”

“SECO! Sustainer engine cutoff—the moment when the final Atlas engine will shut down, when Friendship 7 should separate from the booster rocket and begin orbital flight.”

“Go! Classic rates fired. Okay, Rogers! Zero-g and I feel fine. Capsule is turning around. Oh, that view is tremendous. [Music]”

“To John Glenn now belongs an awesome panorama—the world curving beneath him, just as it was filmed from an earlier Mercury capsule.”

“You have a go at least seven orbits. Understand? For at least seven orbits. Clear back up! Big crowd, water way back across toward the Cape. Beautiful sight. [Music]”