Joelle Fredman
WMAL.com
OHIO — (WMAL) Former astronaut and senator John Glenn has died at the age of 95 at the James Cancer Hospital at the Ohio State University.
After a 1962 flight into space, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.
After resigning from NASA in 1964, Glenn began a career in politics. After losing a race for senator in Ohio in 1970, he won four years later and held his seat for 24 years.
He returned to space at age 77 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and became the oldest human to enter space. Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, is named after him.
WMAL’s John Matthews talked to Glenn two years ago prior to the building of the school in his honor.
NASA tweeted, “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.”
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum tweeted, “We mourn the passing and celebrate the life of Senator John Glenn. His legacy of friendship and discovery will live in our halls forever.”
Glenn was hospitalized this week.
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