[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 19 (Monday, February 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMEMORATING JOHN GLENN'S ``FRIENDSHIP 7'' SPACE FLIGHT

  Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity 
today to recognize the remarkable achievements of a former Senator from 
Ohio. The State of Ohio is known as the birthplace of aviation, it is 
the home of the Wright Brothers and the home to 24 astronauts. I have 
the privilege of calling two of these astronauts, Neil Armstrong and 
John Glenn, my friends. Today, I would like to take a few minutes to 
commemorate the tremendous achievement of one of these heroes by 
celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the historic 1962 flight 
of NASA's Mercury Spacecraft, nicknamed Friendship 7.
  Fifty years ago on February 20, 1962, Friendship 7, piloted by John 
Glenn, performed 3 successful orbits of the Earth at 17,400 miles per 
hour, and made John Glenn the first American to orbit the earth. While 
in orbit, John Glenn performed a series of breakthrough experiments to 
test human ability to function in the weightlessness of space. He then 
successfully piloted the spacecraft manually after a malfunction in the 
automatic flight controls, overcoming severe oscillation and a 
dwindling fuel supply during reentry, and completing the mission by 
landing the spacecraft safely in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes 
and 23 seconds after initial launch. He returned a national hero.
  His historic flight inspired scientific curiosity and national 
enthusiasm for further space exploration, paving the way for America's 
continued dominance in space operations.
  In 1998 Senator Glenn again demonstrated his tremendous courage and 
reentered space at the age of 77, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, 
to examine the effect of space flight on the elderly.
  Space exploration is not, however, Senator Glenn's only remarkable 
achievement. He set the transcontinental speed record in 1957 for the 
first flight to average supersonic speed, flying at an average speed of 
723 miles per hour, from Los Angeles to New York. Then in 1996 Senator 
Glenn set a new record, along with co-pilot Phillip Woodruff, of an 
average speed of 229 miles per hour in a 367-mile flight from Dayton, 
Ohio to Washington, DC.
  In addition to these contributions to scientific exploration and 
NASA, John Glenn gave 23 years of service to the U.S. Marine Corps; is 
a veteran of two foreign wars; flew 149 combat missions; was awarded 
the Distinguished Flying Cross five times; and retired a colonel in 
1965.
  Ten years later he began a career in the U.S. Senate, contributing 24 
years of service as a U.S. Senator from the State of Ohio from 1975 to 
1999.
  In 1998 the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy 
at The Ohio State University was created and Senator Glenn became an 
adjunct professor in OSU's School of Public Policy and Management in 
the Department of Political Science.
  Then, in 2006 the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public 
Policy merged with the School of Public Policy and Management to form 
the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, 
which prepares future generations of public servants. I myself have had 
the privilege of co-teaching four classes at the Glenn School and have 
the honor of serving on its board of advisors along with Senator Glenn 
and his incredible wife Annie. She has been a tremendous partner for 
Senator Glenn through all of these experiments we have been talking 
about tonight.
  Senator Glenn's tremendous achievements have paved the way for future 
generations to follow in his footsteps by continuing to make the United 
States a global leader in science, technology, education, military 
service and public service. I once again commend Senator John Glenn on 
the success of his historic 1962 flight aboard NASA Spacecraft 
Friendship 7.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.

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