As astronauts from Artemis II head back to Earth after circling the moon, it’s a moment to look back at when the U.S. was still trying to catch up in space. On Feb. 20, 1962, John Glenn became the ...

Monumentally important, this is the first image of an American astronaut in space. In the Project Mercury spacecraft named Friendship 7, John Glenn became the first American astronaut to orbit Earth.

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Moments like the Artemis II mission echo the earliest days of American spaceflight in 1962, when astronaut John Glenn orbited the planet three... Before Artemis II, the Friendship 7 helped push the ...