It's been 45 years since Ohio's John Glenn made his historic flight. On this day - February 20th - in 1962 Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth.
Tuesday at COSI, Glenn recalled the flight, the preparations for it and the accolades that followed.
45 years later - nearly to the exact minute of the launch - John Glenn recalled the flight that put him into orbit..
For about an hour, John Glenn, now 85 recalled the flight and described slides on COSI's Exteme Screen Theater. Glenn said it did not seem like the flight took place 4 and a half decades ago.
"It does not seem like that to me. Its remained very vivid like the flight was a week ago," Glenn said.
Glenn described his training where he and other astronauts were subjected to forces 16 times the force of gravity - eye balls in and eyeballs out training as they called it. He showed a picture of the right stuff astronauts - dusty with scruffy beards dressed like Bedouins. They had spent three days in the Nevada desert - training for the possibility the capsule would land in the desert instead of the ocean.
Glenn recalled that was a big fear of his. He worried about landing in remote Africa or in Aboriginal lands of Australia where tribal-people would not know what was going on.
"You can imagine a native on one of those areas looking up in the sky, hearing a sonic boom, seeing a little black speck in the sky with a big parachute .. and this this thing hits the ground in front of him and out pops a man in a silver suit..I figured you'd be a god or dead very soon - one or the other."
Glenn told of how he and other astronauts helped with the design of Friendship 7 - how they argued successfully for a window.. Glenn described the launch as being not that bad, gentle even the 8-g ride into orbit as difficult.
Then showed pictures of the earth below.. the first handheld photographs taken from orbit.
"Was I awed by the whole thing.. Yes I was I was doing things no-one had ever done before. It was awesome I can vouch for that."
Glenn recalled the anxious moments on re-entry when he and NASA engineers worried the heat shield would detach, which would lead to the destruction of the ship.
"My view of it was.. that if this was breaking up there was nothing I could do to stop it.. I was sensitive to heat on my back.. "
But concern turned out the be unfounded.. the ship landed safely in the ocean and Glenn was soon branded an American Hero After the flight he recalled the disappointment of being taken off the flight rotation - a decision he later learned was made by President Kennedy.. He said he does not feel a lot of envy for others but was jealous of Neil Armstrong. As for his hero status, Glenn brushes it off, saying he's glad he helped the pursuit of science and encouraged others into public service.
Ohio State University's Page hall is hosting an exhibit honoring Glenn's flight. It includes parts of the capsule and letters Glenn received after the flight.
