Mercury
Mission
Mercury
Series
NASA
Venue
Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
Date
February 20, 1962
Agency
NASA
Nickname
John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit Earth
Crew
John Glenn
John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit Earth
John Glenn circled the Earth three times aboard Friendship 7, becoming the first American to orbit the planet. The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission was a critical milestone that demonstrated the United States could match Soviet orbital capability.
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