Political Quotes

“Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity today to recognize the remarkable achievements of a former Senator from Ohio. The State of Ohio is known as the birthplace of aviation, it is the home of the Wright Brothers and the home to 24 astronauts. I have the privilege of calling two of these astronauts, Neil Armstrong and John Glenn, my friends. Today, I would like to take a few minutes to commemorate the tremendous achievement of one of these heroes by celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the historic 1962 flight of NASA's Mercury Spacecraft, nicknamed Friendship 7. Fifty years ago on February 20, 1962, Friendship 7, piloted by John Glenn, performed 3 successful orbits of the Earth at 17,400 miles per hour, and made John Glenn the first American to orbit the earth. While in orbit, John Glenn performed a series of breakthrough experiments to test human ability to function in the weightlessness of space. He then successfully piloted the spacecraft manually after a malfunction in the automatic flight controls, overcoming severe oscillation and a dwindling fuel supply during reentry, and completing the mission by landing the spacecraft safely in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds after initial launch. He returned a national hero. His historic flight inspired scientific curiosity and national enthusiasm for further space exploration, paving the way for America's continued dominance in space operations.…”