Barbara Boxer: “in 1962, a few weeks before becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn appeared on the cover of Life…”

“in 1962, a few weeks before becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn appeared on the cover of Life magazine under the header, ``Making of a Brave Man.'' John Glenn is indeed a brave man, but to those of us who have served with him in the United States Senate, he is much more. He is a skilled legislator, a good friend, and an honorable and decent person. For the generation who remembers John Glenn's historic trip to space 36 years ago, his return this month abroad the space shuttle is truly special. At that time, the United States was in the midst of the cold war with the Soviet Union. The Soviets could boast many achievements in space, including the launching of the first satellite. It was a tense time, and ours hopes as a nation were with John Glenn and the U.S. space program. On February 20, 1962, America held it's collective breath as Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule circled the earth three times. During this mission, John Glenn showed us why he was our hero. When a faulty signal erroneously warned that the capsule's heat shields might come loose, he remained calm and cool, even as he watched fiery bits of spacecraft flash past him during reeintry into the Earth's atmosphere. The entire country beamed with pride at this heroic accomplishment. President Kennedy called space ``a new ocean'', and John Glenn will go down in history as one of it's first and most important explorers.”