>> ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's ceremony. thank you and have a nice day. ♪

♪ 50 years ago, astronaut john glenn became the first american to orbit the earth. the entire flight was just under five hours. he orbited the earth three times in a spacecraft named friendship

7. next a 1963 film about john glenn tracking him from his boyhood growing up in new concord, ohio, through his historic spaceflight. this is half an hour. there are milestones in human progress that mark recorded history. in my judgment, this nation's orbital pioneering in space is of such historic stature, representing as it does a vast advancement that will profoundly influence the progress of all mankind, it signals also a call for alertness to our national opportunities and responsibilities. it requires physical and moral stamina to equal the stresses of

these times and a willingness to meet the dangers and challenges of the future. john glenn throughout his life has eloquently portrayed these great qualities and is an inspiration to all america. this film, in paying tribute to john glenn, also pays tribute to the best in american life. ♪ ♪ new concord, ohio, wasn't on many maps until february 20th, 1962.

it came to fame in a single day with an american adventurer that history will call the john glenn story. fashioned in the american image, this pleasant little city typifies a nation's ideal way of life. a man might make a good life here. in the circle of family and friends. and a boy might let his imagination soar. he might explore the wonders of the wide world all about him, life's simple mysteries. with bright discovery daily opening doors to knowledge. he can look away to distant places, to exciting adventures, hidden only by the horizon and the future.

like this boy, like boys everywhere, young john glenn dreamed of the future as he looked to far away new frontiers. why, he might even learn to fly. this town and these people, they knew john glenn as a school boy, as a teenager, and as a neighbor. like mayor taylor, they followed his career as he blazed a trail across the high sky. >> i watched john glenn grow up from a freckled-face, red-headed lad into the man you all know today. john's youth and his life today are an example for all americans to follow. >> new concord high. like these youngsters, john attended school here. his principal and teacher was harford steele. >> he was an excellent student and he graduated with honors

from our high school. i taught johnny and hundreds of others that our democracy is a priceless heritage and that we should preserve, protect and if at all possible, make some contributions to it. he has made a significant contribution in his mission in space. >> and this fine new school in new concord, it's the john glenn high school. with its first graduating class receiving diplomas, young john helped his father about this shop when he wasn't in school or acting as lifeguard in the summer at camp or in college. john went on to college at muskinghum right in new concord. the high regard of the college is expressed by its president. dr. glen mcconaha.

>> john's conquest in space has captured the hearts and the so have his superb qualities of leadership, moral and physical strength and emotional stability. >> john found time for athletics, winning four high school letters. muskinghum coach ed sherman recalls john glenn's athletic >> john played football right here on this field. he was captain of his high schoolan he has proven the value of teamwork both as an athlete and later as an astronaut. ive l in our physical fitness program. he proved that a good mind and a good body always go together. >> campus discussions are inspired by the first orbital

flight of an american.ley his flight has given us an opportunity to see that while we had a chance to do something for our nation, too, maybe i'll even go somewhere sometime. >> we had the same opportunities that he had. >> glenn proved by his flight that there are still many frontiers to be explored and conquered. >> and that shows how vital our education is if our future is to be good. >> glenn always had a strong spiritual side. as dr. charles moorehead recalls. >> john glenn attended services at this church when he was a boy like randy bradley here. >> let's attend services for a moment at john glenn's church. ♪ for the name of the lord ♪ his excellence ♪ his glory is above

♪ the earth and heaven ♪ the earth and heaven >> john and annie were married at this church by dr. henry evans. >> they made a most handsome couple, john in his marine uniform, annie a beautiful happy bride. they both recognized the importance of the spiritual things of life as well as the mental and physical. >> the trial is also great for those who wait as recalled by annie's parents. homer and margaret castor. >> johnny's orbital flight was a real test of courage for annie, too. was aery brave girl. >> annie had complete faith in the space program just as she had confidence in everything johnny set out to do. >> this house was home for john glenn. john glenn sr. and mrs. clara

glenn are gratefully proud of their son's accomplishments. >> john was prepared for the orve orbital flight as were the other astronauts and the entire team. >> in a way, john has been preparing all his life for his venture into space. as a small boy, his idea of a holiday was a visit to the airport. and when he grew up, it was no surprise to us when he decided to learn to fly. >> flight commanded young john's major interests. he had to learn to fly. world war ii interrupted college. he received his first flying lessons from pilot harry clever. >> this is john's flight record with my combat after his first flight, which was eager to learn, relaxed, alert, and good coordination. he certainly has retained these flight qualities right into outer space.

[ playing "anchors away" ] >> flight training in pensacola at corpus christi. many aviators have won their wings here. like these cadets, john went on to learn about airplanes and with time for physical conditioning and sports and for religious inspiration. like these naval aviators, to win his wings. the navy's thorough training prepared lieutenant john glenn for wartime action in the south pacific. flying 59 coarse air like these, he blasted enemy targets, until there was peace christi as an advanced flying instructor until -- korea.

major john glenn came back to y shoot down three migs. following korea, john glenn came home to flight test the super sonic f-au crusader, to flash across the nation, california to new york. setting a super sonic speed record of 3 hours and 23 minutes. with experimental thrusts toward speed and altitude. the limitations of time and distance were being brushed aside as experimental planes like the x-15 launched from its air force mothership rocketed to record-breaking altitudes and speeds. unmanned experimental flights and orb built pressed onward until it was time for man to orbit. until the word was "go." chosen from many americans who answered the president's call, these astronauts dedicated

themselves to study, training and physical conditioning. with alan shepard learning about weightlessness and gus grissom with the space gravity as wally schirra masters manual spacecraft control. three years of engineering skill and scientific experimentation have gone into this historic atlas launching. its component parts have come from countless sources, devitzed and fabricated by many thousands of technicians in hundreds of united states cities. and this, the motive power, carefully raised to position on its gantry. this, the atlas. with power to develop 360,000 pounds of thrust, with capability to swiftly lift the

spacecraft and its passenger as high as 160 miles and inject into orbit at 17,500 miles an hour. and now the word is "go" as the spacecraft is lifted into its position atop the atlas. this spacecraft, six feet across at its widest heat shield end, ten feet tall, built to withstand heat shield temperatures of 3,000 degrees fahrenheit as the winds rushed by at more than 15,000 miles an hour -- as the astronaut prepares for space flight, for adventure into outer space. ♪ mercury control waits and watches with the atlas standing ready to throb into life. ready. friendship 7 is ready, and so is john glenn.

♪ >> at the gantry, elevators lift glenn to the 11th level, the spacecraft level. ♪ glenn takes his place in friendship 7 looking toward the unknown. ♪

ready. mercury atlas is ready, and so is the astronaut. ♪ the countdown is under way at cape canaveral as all the world holds its breath and all the world is witness. ♪ >> missile power, go. rf systems, go. missile, go. all prestockpile lights are correct. the ready light is on. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

♪ >> roger. the clock is operating. we're under way. read loud and clear. roger. we'll programming and we're all okay. >> a little bumpy here. >> stand by for 20 seconds. roger. backup clock is started. still. 102, 108. oxygen 78. 100 amps. 2-7. >> roger. loud and clear. flight path is good. back-up clock is started. >> minus 7-0 on your mark. some vibration coming up here now. we're smoothing out some now, getting out of the vibration area. >> roger. reading you loud and clear. flight path looks good. pitch 25. stand by.

>> roger. cannot see the tower go. i saw the smoke go by the window. >> roger. 1.5 gs. >> friendship 7, we got you. >> roger, this is friendship 7. all the greats fired. okay. >> roger, 0-g. i feel fine. capsule is turning around. oh, that view is tremendous. >> roger. power has started. >> roger, capsule. turning around. and i can see the booster during turnaround, just a couple of hundred yards behind me. it was beautiful. >> the word is "go" and john glenn is go and with him go all of mankind's dreams of some day touching the unattainable stars.

under a tropic sun, the tracking ship "rose knot" waits and follows his course, as he rockets towards the coast of africa. to john glenn belongs an awesome panorama of the earth below. beyond human sight, friendship 7 makes a slow boat out of the sun as the spacecraft girdles the earth every 90 minutes, like a shooting star at five miles a second, 17,500 miles an hour, john glenn streaks away from today, into the night of tomorrow, racing towards the dawn of yesterday. as glenn sights the lights of perth and rockingham, as he flashes over australia and across the pacific to contact waiting ground stations in wymas, mexico and california. waits as friendship 7 streaks home to the land of its origin. an unseen comet lining across

the united states in eight lightning minutes of flight. completing three history-making circuits of the globe, john glenn fires retro rockets to slow the spacecraft. john glenn fires retro rockets to slow the spacecraft, to direct it back to earth. >> five, four, three, two, one. fire. >> roger. firing. are they ever. it feels like i'm going back to hawaii. >> then the first ominous note. the first warning of possible disaster. a chilling signal flashes an indication that the capsule's heat shield may be loose. the astronaut might perish like an earthbound meteor in 3,000 degrees of re-entry heat without the heat shield. strapped over it, the metro pack might hold it in place.

cape canaveral makes the decision. >> we are recommending that you leave the package on through the entire re-entry. >> as all the world listens and stands hope, cape control shows the way. using fly by wire control for re-entry, john glenn rides his craft through the vastness of space toward the globing earth beneath. science and its amazing exactness selects the caribbean to receive "friendship seven" as it blazes into the earth's atmosphere. >> this is "friendship seven." a real fireball outside. >> a fireball, the fiberglass surface of the heat shield is starting to moment and vaporize as a glowing electrically charged wake. the earth's atmosphere slows the

capsule's descent. >> "friendship 7," coming down on ten. snorkels are open. chute is out and reached condition at 10,800 feet. beautiful chute. looks good. rate of descent has gone 4.2 feet per second. the chute looks very good. mercury recovery. this is "friendship seven." do you receive? >> "friendship seven," be advised, i have you officially -- >> roger, what is your estimate on recovery time? over. >> estimate pickup pact.w

there we go. "friendship seven," hold you in the water. what's your condition, over. >> my condition okay. does the capsule look like it's okay? over. >> the capsule looks good from here. over. >> home to earth comes the voyager. transported now to the aircraft carrier "randolph" in 4 hours and 56 minutes, john glenn has streaked through three days and three nights and over 81,000 miles. never a journey so far. never a traveler so welcomed by the world. so brief a journey in time. so far the way.

so long the hours for those who wait. asglnn has waited. as all the world has waited. to salute the glenns with vice presidenton johnson. as the president of the united states arrives at cape canaveral, to be greeted with johnnd annie glenn, by the cheers of thrilled lines of proud americas. in ceremonies at mercury control center. president john f. kennedy presents the nasa distinguish service medal to astronaut john glenn. as annie and lynn and david glenn proudly share applause with the other astronauts and with the world. as john's parents learn firsthand about "friendship seven." as does marine corps commandant

general david m. shupe and the president of the united states. and this rainy day in washington is a happy day. as the president and the astronaut arrive. to drive through rain-wtreed, t white house for a reception. as john and annie glenn with vice president lyndon johnson greet distinguished guests including astronaut alan shepard. godspeed, john glenn. godspeed into the future. and to even greater accomplishment. into the hearts of all americans. welcome to washington. welcome back to this planet. from the nation's capital, to the towers of manhattan, to tap cheering crowds roar a mighty

welcome, shared by all americans, by free people everywhere. ♪ and across the land, the scene is the same and the heart is the same, as john glenn comes home to new at the capitol, there's an introduction by the speaker of the house, the honorable john mccormick. >> members of the koccongress, is a p arivige high honor to present to you a brave and courageous american. a hero in world war ii and in the korean conflict who notable

glory and prestige to our country. the first united states astronaut to have achieved orbital flight, lieutenant colonel john herschel glenn, united states marine corps. [ applause ] >> mr. speaker, mr. president, members of the congress, i am only too aware of the tremendou this joint meeting of the congress today. this has been a great experience for all of us on the program, and for all americans, i guess,

too. i'm certainly glad to see the pride in our country and its accomplishments are not a thing of the past. i know i still get a real hard-to-define feeling down inside when the flag goes by, and i know all of you do, too. the launch, itself, was conducted openly and with the news media representatives from around the world in attendance, this is certainly in sharp contrast with similar programs conducted elsewhere in the world and elevates the peaceful intent of our program. today, i know that i seem to be standing alone on this great platform. just as i seem to be alone in the cockpit of the "friendship seven" spacecraft, but i'm not. there were with me then and with

me now thousands of americans and many hundreds of citizens of many countries around the world who contributed to this truly international undertaking voluntarily and in a spirit of cooperation and understanding. we are all proud to have been privileged to be part of this effort. to represent our country as we have. as our knowledge of this universe in which we live increases, may god grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely? thank you. >> and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. in the pattern of all our free american traditions, john glenn's trail blazing venture into space has shown the way for human progress. for brotherhood around the world. his story speaks of people and places and industry. of the greatness