He will go down in history as one of the 20th century’s greatest explorers. John Glenn – the first American to orbit Earth – has died, aged 95.<br /><br /> He was the last surviving member of the original seven Mercury astronauts. <br /><br /> Glenn circled the world in February 1962, in the Friendship 7 capsule. He famously remarked “that view is tremendous.”<br /><br /> After splashdown and recovery in the Atlantic, Glenn was treated as a hero, addressing a joint session of Congress and being feted in a New York ticker-tape parade. <br /><br /> He was credited with reviving US pride after the Soviet Union’s domination of manned space exploration. <br /><br /> We remember American legend Sen. John Glenn. Statement from our Administrator Charles Bolden on Glenn’s passing: https://t.co/xkmGSjLnOO pic.twitter.com/x63ZAvNUhm— NASA (@NASA) 8 December 2016<br /><br /> The Corps lost a legend today.<br /><br />Col. John Glenn— an astronaut, a senator, a Marine— died at the age of 95.<br /><br />Semper Fi, Sir. pic.twitter.com/xUShqC9JaZ— U.S. Marines (@USMC) 8 December 2016<br /><br /> Former fighter pilot Glenn later became a US senator, but he refused to hang up his space suit. <br /><br /> In 1998, at the age of 77, Glenn became the oldest man to travel to space – blasting off aboard the shuttle Discovery.<br /><br /> He died at the James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University, according to a spokesman.<br /><br /> Space exploration brings out our best. John Glenn served his country in space, in Congress, and inspired a generation. Onward, John Glenn. pic.twitter.com/KLtzuXn9eP— Bill Nye (@BillNye) 8 December 2016<br /><br /> Today we lost a great pioneer of air and space in John Glenn. He was a hero and inspired generations of future explorers. He will be missed.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 8 December 2016<br />
