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What John Glenn Saw When He Became the First American to Orbit Earth

Five minutes and four seconds into the flight of the Friendship 7, as John Glenn prepared to become the first American to orbit Earth, he radioed to NASA, his capsule turned and brought the Earth into sight. “Oh, that view is tremendous,” he said.

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After a trip across the Indian Ocean, mission control told Glenn that he’d be seeing the lights of Perth in western Australia. He confirmed that he did see them. “The lights show up very well and thank everybody for turning them on, will you?” Glenn joked.

“In the periscope, I can see the brilliant blue horizon coming up behind me; approaching sunrise. Over.” Mission Control replied, “You are very lucky.” Glenn said, “You’re right. Man, this is beautiful.”

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Galilean Nights

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