From Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Herschel Glenn Jr. was
successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7
spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut
on this day in 1962.
Glenn, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was
among the seven men chosen by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) in 1959 to become
America’s first astronauts.
While in orbit 170 miles above Earth, Navy Captain Bruce McCandless
II became the first human being to perform an untethered spacewalk, when he exits the U.S. space shuttle Challenger and maneuvers
freely, using a bulky white jet pack of his own design.
McCandless orbited Earth in tangent with the shuttle at speeds
greater than 17,500 miles per hour—the speed at which satellites normally orbit Earth—and flew up to 320 feet away from the
Challenger. After an hour and a half of testing and flying the jet-
powered backpack and admiring Earth, McCandless safely
reentered the shuttle.
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Bruce McCandless II (Byron Willis McCandless)
(June 8, 1937 – December 21, 2017)
Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, returned safely to
Earth after an historic six-day journey.
On December 21, Apollo 8 was launched by a three-stage Saturn 5
rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders aboard. On Christmas Eve,
the astronauts entered into orbit around the moon, the first manned
spacecraft ever to do so. During Apollo 8‘s 10 lunar orbits, television images were sent back home and spectacular photos were taken of
the Earth and the moon from the spacecraft. In addition to being the
first human beings to view firsthand their home world in its entirety,
the three astronauts were also the first to see the far side of the
moon. On Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and
began its journey back to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific
Ocean.
Apollo 8 crew members from left to right: James A. Lovell Jr., William A. Anders, and Frank Borman.
Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with astronauts Frank
Borman, James Lovell, Jr. and William Anders aboard (above).
On Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around the
moon, the first manned spacecraft ever to do so. During Apollo
8‘s 10 lunar orbits, television images were sent back home, and spectacular photos were taken of Earth and the moon from the spacecraft. In addition to being the first human beings to view
firsthand their home world in its entirety, the three astronauts
were also the first to see the far side of the moon.
The iconic "Earthrise" image taken by astronaut Bill Anders
on Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968. Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 liftoff.
CAMILLE BOHANNON
Singer Robert Anthony Plant is 73 today.
Plant is best known as the lead singer and lyricist
of the English rock band Led Zeppelin.
