Glenn Completes Three Orbits Of Earth

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29754, 22 February 1962, Page 7

Glenn Completes Three Orbits Of Earth

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida), February 21. Lieutenant-Colonel John Glenn rocketed triumphantly around the world three times yesterday and landed safely, as the world cheered the greatest U.S. space feat on record.

The 40-year-old Marine splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean near Grand Turn Island in the Bahamas, about 700 miles south-east of Cape Canaveral, at 2.43 p.m. He Circled the globe three times, travelling more than 81.000 miles, in four hours and 56 minutes. Colonel Glenn and his capsule were plucked from the waters by the destroyer U.S.S. Noa at 31 p.m Colonel Glenn reported: “My condition is excellent.”

Long before dawn yesterday morning. Colonel Glenn, his sparse red hair cropped close so that his -pace helmet would fit snugly, woke refreshed after more than seven hours' sleep and breakfasted off orange juice, scrambled eggs, a steak, toast, jam, and decaffeinated coffee.

After a medical check in his closely-guarded quarters, sensors were attached to four tattooed spots on his

body to record his physical reactions during his flight, and the astronaut donned his silver s>pace suit. Looking confident and relaxed, he drove in a van four miles to the foot of the 130ton Atlas rocket. First “Hold” Low clouds caused a “hold” of 39 minutes. Colonel Glenn grinned and said he “felt wonderful.” He was still smiling when he reached the top of the red and white striped gantry supporting the rocket, shook hands with a white-garbed technician, patted two others on the shoulder, and carefully eased himself feet-first into the cramped capsule. A second. 15-minute “hold,” was announced as Colonel Glenn entered the capsule, and soon afterwards came a third. This was to enable more kerosene fuel to be pumped into the rocket, apparently to replace some which had burned away. As the count-down went

on and tension increased, technicians found three minor faults—one involving replacing part of the Atlas driving system, another the replacement of one of the lip microphones Colonel Glenn was to use to describe his flight.

Californian coast, and officiate reported everything appeared “fine.” The cabin temperature varied between 105 deg and 108 deg Fahrenheit, but this did not appear to be a problem. Crossing the west coast, he reported, . “little luminous particles around the capsule, just thousands of them . . . just after sunrise over the Pacific.” Minutes later, Colonel Glenn had passed over Cape Canaveral into his second orbit and reported minor difficulties with his attitude control system. He had begun flying on a form of automatic control. Over Africa Passing over the west coast of Africa for the second time Colonel Glenn said he was feeling pretty warm, but this was partly a result of the bright sunshine flooding the tiny cabinet through his “picture window.” Yawing was using up extra fuel and it was a question whether he would have enough for a third orbit. But scientists decided he did, and he went into his third circuit round the earth.

Then, when technicians had almost completed sealing the hatch of the capsule, they found a broken bolt and had to remove the hatch again to fix it.

The gantry rolled back, leaving the rocket standing like a silver pencil against the sky. All seemed set to go when another “hold” was announced 22 minutes before the launching time because of difficulty with the pumps pouring liquid oxygen into the rocket. Then, six and a half minutes before launching time there was another ‘hold” because of an electrical fault at the control centre in Bermuda—but the count down was then resumed and Friendship 7 lifted off at 2.47 ajn. (New Zealand time). Glenn's Decision

The decision tc make the third orbit after some minor technical difficulties bad developed on the first two, was Colonel Glenn’s. When asked if he wanted to try for three, Colonel Glenn replied: "Affirmative. I’m ready to go."

Except for some minor trouble with his attitude control jets, the little gas nozzles which establish his relationship to the horizon, the entire operation was a miracle of precision. This trouble Colonel Glenn corrected by switching to a control system, part manual and part automatic. Fuel The Atlas used a liquid fuel called RP-1, a kind of kerosene. Liquid oxygen was used to ignite and burn the fuel.

Even so, he landed some 45 to 55 miles short of the planned landing area after firing bis breaking rockets at 7.20 a.m. (N.Z. time).

The reverse rockets gave him such a jolt, he cried: ‘‘l feel like I’m heading back to Hawaii.” .

In any case, he came safely through, and his main parachu’e. which opened at 10,000 ft, settled him down gently.

Colonel Glenn saw his first sunrise as he aprcached the