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VIRTUALISATION First on Feb. 20, 1962: John Glenn orbits Earth
VIRTUALISATION First on Feb. 20, 1962: John Glenn orbits Earth | First on Feb. 20, 1962: John Glenn orbits Earth |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Wednesday, 18 February 2009 | |
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NASA astronaut John Glenn and his Friendship 7 capsule lifted off from Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) at 14:47:39 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Upon reaching the maximum pressure (aerodynamic stress) being felt on the spacecraft, what is called maximum dynamic pressure (or max-Q), Glenn was reported to have said, “It's a little bumpy about here." The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) is located adjacent to the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (Kennedy Space Center) on Merritt Island, Florida. Max-Q for these missions occurred between 13 and 14 kilometers (43,000 and 46,000 feet) above the surface of the Earth. Soon thereafter, the spacecraft was automatically pitched over so that Glenn could see the Earth below. He stated at that time: "a beautiful sight, looking eastward across the Atlantic." Still later, the Atlas rocket accelerated the tiny space capsule to a velocity of about 17,544 miles per hour (7,843 meters per second). With all of its fuel gone, the Atlas rocket was ejected from Glenn's Mercury capsule (Friendship 7) and Glenn was inserted into Earth orbit at 14:52 (hours:minutes) UTC, just about 4.5 minutes after liftoff. Page two continues. |
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