What would it be like to travel to the moon on a rocket-ship? There is one man who has come very close to living that dream on many occasions. Although many people may credit him for doing so, John Glenn never actually walked on the moon! He was the third American to fly in space and the first American to orbit the earth.

John Glenn joined the military in 1943 and became a pilot. He displayed a tremendous talent as a Marine fight pilot. He flew 59 combat missions in World War II and 90 missions in the Korean War. In 1957, he became the first and fastest person to fly from Los Angeles, California to New York City. He accomplished this feat in three hours and 23 minutes.

Not content to stay in this atmosphere, Glenn then became the first American to orbit the earth in space. He covered 81,000 miles in four hours and 55 minutes in a Mercury capsule called Friendship 7. The flight would complete a total of three orbits around the world.

After his career at NASA ended, Glenn became a politician until 1997. Then, from October 29 to November 7, 1998, he accomplished his most impressive feat of all. At 77 years old, he flew on the space shuttle Discovery. This would make him the oldest person to ever fly in space. A true American hero,

John Glenn has not only accomplished his dreams but has continued to contribute to the space program in the USA to this day.