John Glenn dies at 95; astronaut, senator was first American to orbit Earth

This 1961 NASA photo shows the original seven Mercury astronauts. From left, first row are Walter Schirra Jr., Donald Slayton, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter. In the back row are Alan Shepard Jr., Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Gordon Cooper.

John Glenn, President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon Johnson inspect the Friendship 7, the Mercury capsule in which Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.

Jan. 18, 1984 photo of Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, answers questions from the press in Jackson, Miss.

US Senator and astronaut John Glenn and his wife Annie, along with the crew of the recently completed Space Shuttle Discovery mission, parade up Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes” in 1998.

John Glenn talks with astronauts aboard the International Space Station via satellite before a discussion titled “Learning from the Past to Innovate for the Future” in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 20, 2012.

Astronaut and senator John Glenn arriving at the Kennedy Space Center for his scheduled launch aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.

May 29, 2012 photo of President Barack Obama awarding the Medal of Freedom to former astronaut John Glenn during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

John Glenn gives a thumbs-up to then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, left, as he prepares to address members of the American Legion during their national conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 1, 2004.

John Glenn gives a thumbs–up sign while riding in a float with his wife Annie during a parade in his hometown of New Concord, Ohio, on Dec. 19, 1998.