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♲ Robert McNees - 2023-02-20 17:23:26 GMT

The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission launched #OTD in 1962. John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth, circling 3 times in the Friendship 7 capsule.John Glenn was skeptical about the computer controlled trajectory, and said he wouldn’t trust it until mathematician Katherine Johnson had checked it by hand.

Image Credit: NASA
The Atlas Launch Vehicle that carried Glenn into space, in the fiery early stages of takeoff. The rocket is white with some black, venting exhaust along its length. It is moving away from a red gantry. There is a large white cloud of smoke and exhaust, with blue sky in the background.
A color photo of John Glenn in the Friendship 7 capsule he used to orbit the Earth. He is wearing a spacesuit like the one worn by Shepard in the previous photo. A large, round helmet sports a translucent visor through which Glenn's brow, eyes, and nose are visible in profile. Several white tubes connect to the helmet. The suit itself is made of a silvery, reflective material. Glenn is strapped in with what appears to be a canvas harness. Numerous instruments are visible behind and around him.
A black and white photo of Katherine Johnson. She is wearing a top with thin stripes, a zipper down the front, and a pin on the collar. Johnson is looking directly at the camera and has a slight smile.

Robert McNees (@mcnees@mastodon.social)

4.19K Posts, 374 Following, 7.96K Followers · Physicist and professor at a school on the north side of Chicago. Black holes, quantum gravity, cosmology. Rocky Top, Tar Heel. Science, dogs, lake photos. Faves are spooky action at a distance, boosts...

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