On February 20th, 1962, John Herschel Glenn, Jr., originally from Cambridge, Ohio, became the first American to orbit Earth, circling the planet three times in the Friendship 7 spacecraft during a nearly five-hour flight.

Seconds before launch on live national TV, fellow astronaut Scott Carpenter came on the radio with his famous line, "Godspeed, John Glenn."

The success of Glenn’s mission enabled NASA to accelerate its efforts with Project Mercury, which set the stage for the Gemini and Apollo projects and culminated in Apollo 11’s moon landing in 1969.

A portion of this shirt's proceeds benefits the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

Cotton/Poly Blend