Former astronaut John Glenn dead aged 95 after making history twice when he became the first American to orbit the Earth and the oldest man in space
The ex-Marine and US Senator later became the oldest man to travel in space 36 years after his historic flight when he was 77
FORMER astronaut John Glenn, who was the first American to orbit the Earth, has died aged 95.
The ex-Marine and US Senator later became the oldest man to travel in space 36 years after his historic flight when he was 77.
He died at the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday after falling ill and being admitted there last week , Ohio's governor said.
The US space agency NASA was among the first to pay tribute to the legendary astronaut who later served in the Senate for more than two decades, calling him a "hero."
"We are saddened by the loss of Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. A true American hero. Godspeed, John Glenn. Ad astra," NASA tweeted.
In 1962, Glenn made his historic flight when he became the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth in a journey lasting just under five hours.
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He returned to space in 1998 at the age of 77 - becoming the oldest astronaut in space.
After his 23-year career in the US military and space programme, Glenn entered the Senate as a Democrat.
The space legend had been in declining health, undergoing heart-valve replacement surgery in 2014, reportedly suffering a stroke, and was admitted more than a week ago to a cancer ward, according to the Ohio college bearing his name.
The John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University said his "belief in civic duty and public service led him to serve his country as a Marine combat pilot, a pioneer in space travel and an United States senator from Ohio."
"Though he soared deep into space and to the heights of Capitol Hill, his heart never strayed from his steadfast Ohio roots," said Ohio Governor John Kasich.
"Godspeed, John Glenn!"
US Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, who orbited Earth aboard space shuttle Columbia in 1986, said: "On top of paving the way for the rest of us, he was also a first-class gentleman and an unabashed patriot."
Glenn served in both World War II and the Korean War, and in 1957 he made the first nonstop supersonic flight from Los Angeles to New York.
In 2012, Barack Obama awarded Glenn the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.
"On the morning that John Glenn blasted off into space, America stood still," Obama said during the medal ceremony.
"The first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn became a hero in every sense of the word."
Glenn's experiences as a pioneer astronaut were chronicled in the book and movie "The Right Stuff," along with the other Mercury pilots.
His historic flight made him a favourite of President John Kennedy and his brother Robert, who encouraged him to launch a political career that finally took off after a period as a businessman made him a millionaire.
In 1943, Glenn married his childhood sweetheart, Anna Margaret Castor.
They met when they were toddlers, and when she had mumps as a teenager, he came to her house, cut a hole in her bedroom window screen, and passed her a radio to keep her company, a friend recounted.
"I don't remember the first time I told Annie I loved her, or the first time she told me," Glenn would write in his memoir.
"It was just something we both knew."
He bought her a diamond engagement ring in 1942 for $125 - it's never been replaced.
They had two children, Carolyn and John David.
He and his wife, Annie, split their later years between Washington and Columbus.
Both served as trustees at their alma mater, Muskingum College.
Glenn spent time promoting the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at Ohio State University, which also houses an archive of his private papers and photographs.
He once joked that the only astronaut he was envious of was his fellow Ohioan: Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.
Speaking in 2012, he said: "I've been very fortunate to have a lot of great experiences in my life and I'm thankful for them."