john glenn sr. and mrs.lara glenn are proud of their son's accomplishments. >> john was prepared for the orbital flight as was 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 hanlg interests. he had to learn to fly. world war ii had interrupted college. he received his first flying lessons from this pilot. >> 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 he's flight qualities right into outer space. >> flight training at pensacola and corpus christi. many earned their wings here. john went to corpus christi to learn about airplanes and time for physical conditioning and sports and for religious inspiration. like these naval aviators, to win his wings. the navy's thorough train

god speed john glenn. god speed indeed. >> when i came back from korea i applied to go through test pilot training and was accepted. i thought to work out some of the bugs on the new airplanes would be just about the ultimate in flying. >> major john glenn begins attempt at a super sonic transcontinental flight, 2,460 miles traversed, three hours, 23 minutes, 8.4 seconds. >> we broke the record by quite a bit, by 20 minutes or so. >> to annie, the true source of john's remarkable strength for their many years together, to david and lynn who shared their father with a grateful nation, i am honored to be here today to celebrate the life of a man i am proud to have called both a hero and a friend. only a handful of people in history have been called upon to publicly embody the ideals of an entire nation. fewer still have stood to the task at both wartime and piece, and none have answered the call more perfectly than john glenn. he became my hero early in my career as a marine and still is today. he defined an

it was john glenn. he turned to me with a big wink and said i have never been so frightened in my life. i don't think john ever got frightened by anything. my heart nearly stopped. i appreciate my friend from iowa. john was one of the best people i ever served with. i speak about what it was like coming here as a brand-new senator. anytime i was asked about that, talk about the fact that i came here, was sworn in with john glenn. >> mister president, today our country lost an american hero, colonel john glenn, senator john glenn. i will be back at a later date to deliver a more formal tribute with my colleague senator portman but i want to share initial thought as i, my wife connie and so many ohioans join so many around the country that loved him and cared for him and respected him. one of the great blessings of my life to get to know john glenn and for connie and me to count him as friends. we remember a few short years ago on the 50th anniversary of his flight into space, the night before we had dinn

john glenn dead at 95.as said of john glenn that he saved our country and he saved our space program, and he saved our pride. but for a young kennedy, he also saved a dream that kennedy had expressed some nine months earlier before that freedom 7 flight. the goal of landing a man on the moon when we couldn't even get up into space on a consistent basis. take a listen. >> i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> it was a remarkable period. think at the time, president kennedy outlined the goal, we couldn't even get the suborbital flight thing right. the russians were grabbing the headlines time and time again. we were months away from an orbital mission, the one that would make john glenn famous and restart a space program that had not gotten off the ground, almost literally. to larry sabato now. professor you think about it, so much of that kennedy half century was resting early on,

god speed, john glenn.ne, and a lot of us grief are grieving at well. >> indeed. john glenn was an american hero. he was the astronaut's astronaut. and he really had a passion for seeing america pursue a strong science and research agenda, both on the ground and in space. i met him at his senate office when he was preparing to leave office to go train to become an astronaut, and worked with him to first interact with the publicken online when the can be was still new at that time, and he wanted to answer as many questions as possible him wanted the public to know that space flight was important and that was something that pushed the entire country ahead. >> he was remarkably current man for a man of his years. >> he was. he took a very strong interest in seeing the new technologies advancing as quickly as possible. he was fascinated when i brought him the web site back then, he -- it was brand new and he wanted to know how to surf the web. that was his first question. >> wow. that's fascinating. so nice to

[laughter] john glenn always said yes.the united states marine corps, yes to being the first american to orbit earth as one of mercury seven, yes to the s.a.t.'s nomination to serve in the senate, and yes to the ongoing call of his nation to help forge a path through a new millennium. it was courage, grace, and humility john displayed throughout his life that lifted him above the stars. as the current head of nasa, i can say unequivocally that we are standing on john glenn 's shoulders as we pursue a human journey to mars, a journey that would not be possible without his bravery and selfless dedication. i know that, and countless other astronauts, who had the privilege of following senator glenn into space, content point his remarkable accomplishment as the first american to orbit earth as the seed of our aspirations. even in his 70's, he continued to break barriers as he took to space again in the space shuttle. i was so proud to see this american legend soar again on the discovery 1995 mission. just as with his first fli

now the memorial service for .ohn glenn kaaba wh among those speaking, joe biden and john glenn's sons. this is about two hours. ♪ [no audio] ♪ [bagpipes] >> please be seated. welcome to this celebration of a life of service. we come from many faiths and perspectives. brought together by a desired to remember and honor the life of john glenn. service we won't began to capture the depths and s of the-- breadth life he lived but we will try. theill also celebrate unfailing promises of god. we remember love for us is stronger than death. today, we hold fast to that truth as we celebrate senator glenn's life. now, please join me in our call to worship. before god spoke the first word of creation, there was love. when we draw our last breath and leave this world, love will be waiting for us. then let us worship god. ♪ mr. glenn: looking back on it now, it was almost an idyllic place to have a childhood. patriotism and feelings about the country were a given. it was not something that was rare. as i look back on the influences, whether it was religion or morals, ethical behavior, it was almo

john glenn was 95. nancy cordes has more on his life and legacy. >> reporter: from the cosmos to capitol hill and then back again, john glenn was an astronaut, a politician, and a patriot. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: on february 20th, 1962 john glenn famously became >> oh, that view is tremendous. >> reporter: glenn's experience as one of the original seven mercury astronauts, heroes at the height of the cold war, was immortalized in the epic film "the right stuff." ? years before he made history above his "friendship 7" spacecraft glenn flew fighter planes for the marine corps, racking up 149 missions during world war ii and korea. during his four terms in the senate glenn was a key player in democratic politics, serving chairman of the powerful governmental affairs committee. but his hero status didn't translate into national political appeal. >> i believe this nation of ours can be number one in this world. >> reporter: his bid for the presidency in 1984 never really got off the ground. gle

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. >> ok. he is still handy that way, annie.ohn and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately swarmed with awestruck admirers. it is how it has been always. and in my essay for the plain dealer on john, i have been on the receiving end of stories about random encounters with john and annie. they all have a happy ending. on that night in 2012, our grandson clayton was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask john. i introduced them and told john that clinton had something on his mind. and tall, lanky john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy.

john glenn, a great man.glenn, such a good man. >> he is still handy that way, annie. >> four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately covered with admirers --mires admirers. ofad been on the trail random encounters with the john and annie. every encounter had a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. he said, how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? john smiled, well now, that is an interesting question. nodded and everyone in earshot gathered around for astronaut john glenn to talk about urination in space. after talking, he started making the rounds. i hugged john and thank him for treating our son with such respect. he said, why wouldn't i. ass have sincere questions they need sincere answers. old and height years recently visited us and he said, i'm sor

john glenn, a great man.glenn, such a good man. >> he is still handy that way, annie. >> four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately covered with admirers --mires admirers. ofad been on the trail random encounters with the john and annie. every encounter had a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. he said, how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? john smiled, well now, that is an interesting question. nodded and everyone in earshot gathered around for astronaut john glenn to talk about urination in space. after talking, he started making the rounds. i hugged john and thank him for treating our son with such respect. he said, why wouldn't i. ass have sincere questions they need sincere answers. old and height years recently visited us and he said, i'm sor

god speed john glenn. thank you.er forget you. ♪ >> i decided it was time to do other things. i thought about politics and government work sometime, but i have no idea that i would be up to do that myself. i had been thinking about this since i was a kid. being able to contribute and orbital flight, and if i was to continue in that area, we would do the best for the country. that's right a to run for public office. to the depth of everything in this country. >> when john glenn was 10 years old, his father, his hero, a veteran of world war i taught him how to play caps on the bugle. with flowers next to gravesites and gravestones of the fallen, john will recall that time and feeling when he said where love of country was a given, defensive ideals is an obligation, and the opportunity to join in this operation is a challenge not only to fulfill a sacred duty, but to join a joyous adventure. with john, all the years i worked with him was always a joyous adventure. what a joyous adventure you and john had together, on di

it drove him to create the glenn institute becoming the glenn school and then the glenn college to inspirek for who worked for john 30 years ago in his senate office tell me this week that john glenn took such joy in helping others and was so proud of his staff that even when you left you are still family. john glenn was the only ohio and ever to be elected four times to the united states senate. he was a workhorse, never show horse, show horse, he labored over the details of nonproliferation in environmental cleanup of nuclear disposal sites, grunt work some but john was content to spend his time [inaudible] collecting instant headlines but achieving lasting results openly the world better than he had found it. he helped create the independent watchdogs we know as inspector general's to keep the government he believed in accountable to the people it serves. he had the foresight to found the great lakes task force which continues to play an important role to protect the help of our great lake. the night before the 50th anniversary of colonel glenn's space launch connie and i had dinner in

senator john glenn. [applause] john glenn: thank you.k you, thank you all very much. thank you. thank you all. [applause] ladiesenn: thank you, and gentlemen. thank you, brit, very much. sound system, how is it up there? can you hear all right? ok good. brit of course is no stranger to washington. he was president of the university of maryland for about nine years i think it was. and the did a great job there such a great job that we promoted him to ohio state. [laughter] john glenn: i thought i would get some boos out of this crowd on not around this particular area here, but you know host director of the air and space museum general jack daly who i have known in the marine corps and nasa days and now here at the air and space museum. i don't know what his problem was i think he probably got so excited about the olympics he tried to play 20-year-old again, and it didn't work. [laughter] jack we wish you a speedy , recovery. i know that's a painful thing to have happen your achilles tendon go out for you then a verse or a hard to believe

the glenn institute, which became the glenn school, is now the glenn college.that you lived to know your legacy of public service will endure. you challenged another assumption about aging, dad. beachew your pressurized baron until you were 90. he took a flight physical every year and completed a long weekend of training and testing provided for each aircraft. but macular degeneration caught up with you and one of the saddest consequences of the disease, a compromise your ability to see the sunset. it was heartbreaking for you and a heart ache for me. are, your funeral. folks from around the world, in all walks of life remember and honor you, dad. you lived many lives in one life with honesty, grace, and believe country and the honor of public service. i am proud and so grateful to say you are just my dad. thank you, dad. i love you. godspeed, dad. [applause] ♪ >> we have been together ever since we were in junior high school. our parents used to kid us that we were in play pens together. ♪ from then on, it was the two of us together. ♪ there were things that i

today we pay tribute to john glenn, known as an american hero, john glenn died today. he was an astronaut, a u.s. senator, a statesman, and an american hero. he died at the age of 85. he circled the earth three times to push into a new frontier. he was hailed as a hero. glenn later reentered public life representing his home state of ohio in the u.s. senate where he served for a quarter century. >> it's better to have tried and failed than have failed to try. i guess that's the way i look at it. >> through all his years in public life, he never lost his pioneering spirit. he made one final launch. in 1998 when he was 77, he became the oldest astronaut to travel into space. appropriate title tonight, globe editorial director of "huffington post." tell me shuttle commander, what it was like to meet john glenn and what he meant to you. >> john glenn was a hero of mine from the earliest days, as far back as i can remember. he had the career i always dreamed of, fighter pilot during world war ii and then test pilot and astronaut. so meeting him in the astronaut gym and work

captioning sponsored by cbs godspeed, john glenn. >> 5, 4, 3,... >> tonight, we were an hero, space pioneer john glenn, the first american to orbit the earth. >> looks like a good flight. >> pelley: also tonight, wicked weather creates massive pileups, blizzard conditions, and arctic chill across much of the country. and. >> i thought they water vapor. >> pelley: the nation's top doctor sounds the alarm on e-cigarettes. is a new generation getting hooked on nicotine. >> bottom line, is there is no safe use of tobacco products for kids, and tcirette. this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: john glenn, the last of the mercury 7 astronauts, the first american to orbit the earth, died late today. he was 95. back in 1962, america was losing the space race. the soviets had already sent a man into orbit, and just detonated the world's largest atom bomb. so the pressure and excitement were sky high that february day when glenn, america's knight in shining spacesuit, compressed "" school children held their breath watching black and white tvs, grand central terminal stopped in i

senator glenn: did you mean mercury? talking into a tape recorder and how does that compare to your most recent experience. senator glenn: it was a very different type of flight and different confidence level because the first time up, we had not had a perfect flight ,ecord on some of the boosters but this time around, we had 100 tournament flights and only one failure out of all of those, which is an amazing safety record when you are dealing with speeds and complexities and perg almost five miles second up there and coming back in an atmosphere with high heat out three or four eight in front. so you are dealing with things like that. though, we had a much greater experience level than we did the first time up. my talking into the tape recorder, i did not do as much of that as i had planned before. i had that tape, but it is not particularly valuable. nothing that had not been told 100 times before. in reentry, humming "the battle hymn of the republic" -- senator glenn: bunch of garbage. [laughter] senator glenn: tom wo

glenn, the first man to orbit the earth and a four-term u.s. senator from the most important swing state in the country. >> i'm very high on this country and what it can do, what it can stand for, even with its problems now. >>> this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. good evening, i'm chuck todd here in washington and welcome to "mtp daily." in just a moment we're going to pay tribute to an american hero, an aviation icon and u.s. senator. john glenn, who passed away today at the age of 95, is a true icon of american history in so many ways. glenn's decades of service to this country took him around the world as a marine fighter pilot, took him around this planet in space. first man to orbit the earth, first american to do so, excuse me. and, of course, to washington as a senator representing the great state of ohio, his home state. so you won't want to miss our remembrances of him later in the show. >>> but we're going to begin tonight with the presidential transition and a question of influence. politics is war. and right now everyone f

god speed john glenn."mark barger, nbc news glenn once joked that the only astronaut he was envious of was his fellow ohio native, to walk on the moon. john glenn was 95.. we know. it's december weather in wisconsin. but after the mild weather we had over the past few months... this cold snap is kind of a shock to the system.meteorologist jesse ritka joins us with the storm team forecast. the sun didn't help much today, it is chilly with temperatures in the 20s and a nasty wind making it feel like temperatures are in the teens. more clouds are rolling in, bringing a few flurries but the cloud cover will help keep it not quite as frigid tonight with lows near 20 degrees in milwaukee with teens inland. adding in the wind it will digits when you wake up on friday morning. wisconsin's wisconsin's presidential recount is wrapping up ahead of schedule... only two counties still counting in southeastern wisconsin.ben jordan is live at the milwaukee county recount room with an update on the progress there, ben: it'

godspeed. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: glenn's famous spacecraft, "the friendship 7" now residese at the smithsonian's air and space museum. the white house said today that journey lifted the hopes of a nation, and president-elect trump, scott, called him a great pioneer. >> pelley: nancy cordes for us tonight. nancy, thank you. the dangerously cold weather turned deadly today. blinding snowstorms caused major pileups in the midwest, and omar villafranca is in the deep freeze. >> reporter: a snow squall and slick roads are being blamed for the deadly pileup of mangled cars, trucks, and 18-wheelers. three people were killed and 11 people injured after dozens of vehicles careened off of michigan's i-96, just south of r nsing. 300 miles east in lake county, ohio, another pileup with as many as 50 vehicles occurred after a truck jackknifed due to icy road conditions. farther east, in upstate new york, the moving system dropped nearly 17 inches of thick, sticky, lake-effect snow an hour north of syracuse. roads quickly became eteacherous, testing the skills of any driver who dared to

glenn reported zero-"g," and "i feel fine." it would be his signature catch phrase for the rest of his life, a life of many orbits, remembered now by nancy cordes. >> reporter: from the cosmos to capitol hill and then back again-- >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: john glenn was an astronaut, a politician, and a patriot >> i had i guess you could say 47 years of federal service. i had 24 years in the senate, 23 years in the me space program, and we're proud of this country and what it provides for people. and it's a-- i still think we're-- we're the example for the rest of the world. >> reporter: on february 20, 1962, john glenn famously became the fit american to orbit the earth. >> oh, that view is tremendous! >> reporter: when he came back, glenn became a national hero and received a ticker tape parade in new york city, the largest since world war ii. >> i got on this project because wanted to make the most of it. >> reporter: years before he made history aboard his "friendship 7" spacecraft, glenn flew fighter planes fo

we learned late today, astro gnat and senator john glenn has died. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> the first american astronaut to orbit the earth. tonight, in his own words. >>> also breaking tonight, the the pileups across several states. the images coming in. up to 70 cars involved in just one chain reaction crash. >>> as we come on, new reporting tonight after two police officers are targeted, both of them shot and now word, the second officer has died. >>> was it excessive force? the student with the knife and the officer who then fired the shot. tonight, some asking, did he have another option? >>> and holiday shoppers, beware

the glenn institute became the glenn school and is now the glenn college.teful you lived to know your legacy of public service and meaningful policy will enter. endure. -- until you are 19. to confirm your skills as a pilot he took a flight physical every year and completed a long testing,f training and provided by the aircraft. but macular degeneration caught up with you and one of the saddest consequences of the it compromised your ability to see sunsets. it was heartbreaking for you and a heart ache for me. now here we are, your funeral. folks from around the world in all walks of life remember and honor you. lives in london life, with honesty, grace, and belief in our country and the honor of public service. i am proud and so grateful to say you are my dad. thank you dad, i love you, god speed. [applause] ♪ >> we have been together -- in junior high school our parents -- from then on it was the two of us together. there were things that i thought were important and she thought were important for the country. we have been in this as a team together. >> b

we learned late today, astronaut and senator john glenn has died. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> the first american astronaut to orbit the earth. tonight, in his own words. >>> also breaking tonight, the winter storms hitting now. the driving has turned deadly. the pileups across several states. the images coming in. up to 70 cars involved in just one chain reaction crash. >>> as we come on, new reporting tonight after two police officers are targeted, both of them shot. and now word, the second officer has died. >>> was it excessive force? the student with the knife and the officer who then fired the shot. tonight, some asking, did he have another option? >>> and holiday shoppers, beware tonight. the lawsuit breaking as we come on. several major department stores now accused of making you believe you're getting a better deal than you actually are. we have the list. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin with the passing of a true american hero. former astronaut, war hero and u.s. senator from ohio, john glenn, has died. the first americ

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. he is still handy that way, annie. four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and were immediately swarmed with admirers. i had never known them to be anything but gracious with strangers. i have been the recipient of a steady stream of stories about john and annie. every one of those stories have a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. i introduced him. and i told john that clayton had something on his mind. immediately tall, lanky john , leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. clayton didn't hesitate, how do astronaut to go to the bathroom in space? [laughter] smiled, well now, that is an interesting question, isn't it? clayton nodded and those of us in earshot gathered around for 'stronaut john glenn two-minute tutorial on the machinations of urination in space. himrwards, clayton thanked and shook his hand and started making the

god speed john glenn." three revolutions and four hours and 55 minutes later he returned an instant legend. he was awarded the congressional space medal of honor and new york threw him one of its signature ticker tape parades. later in life, glenn glenn, astronaut: "we used to joke about it in the past when people would say what do you think on the launch pad and the standard answer was how do you think you'd feel if you knew you were on top of two million parts built by the lowest bidder on a government contract?" glenn learned to fly as part of a college course and went on to join the marine corps in 1943. glenn flew 149 combat missions in world war two and the korean war before becoming a test pilot. after leaving nasa, he spent the next decade as a businessman. but in senate seat from ohio and served for twenty- four years. in 1984, he ran for president.astronaut john glenn: "with the nomination of my party i firmly believe i can beat ronald reagan." john glenn never gave up on his dream of one day retu

today we pay tribute to john glenn, known as an american hero, john glenn died today.he was an astronaut, a u.s. senator, a statesman, and an american hero. he died at the age of 85.

senate bids, glenn won a seat in 1974. he became a capitol hill fixture, spearheading policy in the areas of nuclear arms control and foreign affairs. but glenn had his share of political disappointments, including a failed run for the 1984 democratic presidential nomination, and a 1990 senate investigation into his ties to corrupt financier charles keating. glenn was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. after 24 years in washington, he left the senate, but not the spotlight. >> and liftoff off of discovery with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one american legend. >> in 1998, the 77-year-old glenn returned to space after 36 years. criticized by some as a nasa p.r. stunt, glenn's nine-day mission aboard the shuttle discovery weightlessness on aging and inspired seniors around the world. >> one thing i promised annie the day we were married, in addition to our wedding vows of course, was i would do everything i could to keep life from being boring. >> following his second historic spaceflight, glenn remained in the public ey

. >>> this morning john glenn is being remembered for his courage, patriot and intellect. he was the first american to orbit the earth. he served this country in war and as a swats senator. he died at the age of 95. nancy cordes look at glenn's extraordinary life. >> reporter: from the cosmos to capitol hill and back again john glenn was an astronaut, a politician and a patriot. >> i had i guess you could say 47 years of federal services. 24 years in the senate, 23 years in the marine corps and space program. we've proud of this country and what it provides for people. i still think we are the example for the rest of the world. >> reporter: on february 20th, 1962, john glenn famously became the first american to orbit the earth. >> oh, that view is tremendous. >> reporter: when he came back glenn became a national hero and received a ticker tape parade in new york city, the largest since world war ii. >> i got on this project because it would probably be the nearest to heaven i would ever get and i wanted to make the most of it. >> reporter: years before he made history gl

glenn would fly nearly 150 missions during world war ii and the korean war.is experience and skill caught nasa's attention. the fledgling agency picked him as one of the first 7 astronauts in the u.s. space program the mercury 7. the world watched as glenn circled the globe three times in the friendship 7 capsule. >> roger, we are programming to roll. >> reporter: the flight transformed him into a national hero complete with a ticker- tape parade. he then ran for senate from his home state of ohio winning on his third try. during his four terms in the senate, glenn, a democrat, chaired the powerful governmental affairs committee. after retiring from capitol hill, glenn made history again become the oldest person ever in space. at the age of 77, glenn joined the crew of the space shuttle discovery to research the aging process. >> you have older people here on earth with some of the frailties of old age. that's the purpose of why i'm here. >> reporter: glenn's other great love besides space was his wife annie. the childhood sweethearts were married for more th

glenn was a hero of mine.e had the career i always dreamed of. fighter pilot, flying world war ii korea, then test pilot and astronaut. so meeting him in the astronaut gym and working out with him was a real thrill for me. and he just fulfilled every expectation i ever had of somebody that lived up to it. >> so let's do a couple of things. we didn't think we would do it on a tragedy look this. the death of a guy in '95. a great man. how come guys like you are laughing as they're gok into a spacecraft and about to take off. everything can go wrong. you're all chuckling away. we're off, we're going on a little picnic here. how do you do that, psychologically? >> well, you've been training for the mission for so long and you're getting ready, you come downstairs to go out to the astrovan to go to the launch, it's like coming downstairs on christmas morning. this is going to be great, i can't wait. my only worry was, would i screw up? i don't care what happens, as long as it's not my fault. >> last question and i'

connol john glenn, a -- colonel john glenn, an astronaut, a marine died today. we have an astronaut. "i have a lot of e glenn, an ohioan. i'll share them when i can collect myself." a lot of people are upset about the passing. a lot of senators and the representatives are also tweeting as well. senator barbara boxer says john glenn was one of my heros in the senate. strong but a compassionate man with nothing but kindness in his heart. the outpouring is continuing now and john glenn is trending on twitter. back to you. john glenn, america's first man to orbit the earth. space pioneer and long-time u.s. senator passed away. we have continuing coverage online at wjla.com. right here on abc7 news. jonathan: well, also happening tonight we have now seven hours away from the grand opening of the m.g.m. national harbor. look how fast it was built. only a matter of hours. michelle: if only it were real-time, right? the billion dollar project years in the making comes with opportunity for prince george's county. alison: not just the county but the entire state of maryla

>> steve, i did a couple books with john glenn here. the last one we worked on together was "neil armstrong, a life of flight." neil and john were very close, and we all, in the space program, stayed close through the years. and john was just the most civilized man i knew. in fact, you're talking about his life in politics. the thing that jumps out and gets me is the fact that everybody here at the space center and in the space family never thought of john glenn as being a senator. i never called him senator glenn in my life that i know of even though i interviewed him for nbc when he was running for president down in miami. but, anyway, john was just a giant. and he took a risk in flying into space on board an unproven rocket on february the 20th, 1962 to become the first american to orbit earth, and we see his picture up here now. and john not only made that flight, and as you just said a while ago, he came back in 1998, and on october the 29th, he took off on board the shuttle discovery, flew up there nine days, came back later and w

glenn is able to control the yaw and pitch of the vehicle himself.ow is the moment when he'll be seated facing backwards he checks with ground control. >> i feel fine. capsule is turning around. oh that view is tremendous. capsule turning around, i can see the booster doing turn -- during turnaround a couple hundred yards behind me, it was beautiful. >> roger 7, you have a go. at least seven orbits. >> understand go for at least seven orbits. >> actual pictures of glenn in the capsule will give scientists the opportunity to study his reactions as he passes over the canary islands, africa, australia, back across the pacific and over the united states. he speeds at 17,500 miles per hour, reaching a high point of 160 miles and a low altitude of 99 miles. each of the three orbits takes about 90 minutes. three times, the colonel sees the sunrise within a period of four hours and 56 minutes. three times around the globe for a trip of 81,000 miles before he re-enters the earth's atmosphere a shield protecting the astronaut from the intense heat. the carrier

john glenn has died. glenn's local connections include his son who lives in berkeley and his grandchildren who attend school in oakland. the famed astronaut inspiring many people in the bay area. nbc chuck joins us from the science center in oakland. chuck. >> reporter: that's right, jessica. more bay area connections than you might imagine. now, in 1998 while in space again, john glenn asked to speak to his children, his grandchildren at their oakland school. and after his mission back on the ground, he then paid a visit to that school in 2001. paul chap man now a retired principal, still has the photo he took with john glenn holding the school report chap man wrote as a boy that glenn ought graphed. and there were plenty of others in the bay area inspired by glenn. >> 1961 -- >> reporter: it's a tight fit for gerald, but that's because he he says this mercury space capsule was designed for astronauts no taller than 5'11" like john glenn. the space and science center in oakland says glenn inspired him to

[applause] john glenn: thank you. [applause] john glenn: thank you, thank you, all, very much.hank you. thank you, all. [applause] john glenn: thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you, brit, very much. sound system, how is it up there? can you hear all right? ok, good. brit of course is no stranger to washington. he was president of the university of maryland for about nine years i think it was. and the did a great job there such a great job that we promoted him to ohio state. [laughter] john glenn: i thought i would get some boos out of this crowd on not around this particular area here, but you know host director of the air and space museum general jack daly who i have known in the marine corps and nasa days and now here at the air and space museum. i don't know what his problem was i think he probably got so excited about the olympics he tried to play 20-year-old again, and it didn't work. [laughter] jack, we wish you a speedy recovery. i know that's a painful thing to have happen your achilles tendon go out for you then a verse or a hard to believe. from a nine -- i guess

glenn was still training at that point.f the first astronaut on mercury 7, he spoke of them at cape canaveral in 2012. >> that was a real theme was put together back in those days. while we were competitors, boy were we competitors to get the different flights, never was anything any more tight than the brotherhood we had that supported each one of those flights. >> sreenivasan: glenn's moment came in early 1962 when he crammed his silver-suited frame into the tiny friendship 7 capsule. >> e used to joke about the spacecraft. we said, you didn't get into it, you actually put it on. it was more like putting on clothes, it was that small. because the whole thing, if you spread your arms out like, that you were touching both sides of the spacecraft. >> sreenivasan: people around the world watched but few knew the danger unfolding above. the capsule's automated steering system jammed and ground controllers worried the heat shield was tearing away on re-entry. glenn's life depended on that sield, but he told judy woodruff in 201