09 December,2016 11:59 AM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
NASA, on Friday paid tribute to John Glenn who died on in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 95. Glenn, who was hailed as a national hero and a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, then became a national political figure for 24 years in the Senate
NASA, on Friday paid tribute to John Glenn who died on in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 95.
"We are saddened by the loss of Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. He also became a U.S. senator and later, at the age of 77 when he flew on the space shuttle, he became the oldest person to fly in space. Our deepest condolences go out to his dear wife Annie, his children, and the people who were inspired by him and loved him around the world. He was a friend, an astronaut and true American hero. Godspeed, John Glenn."
Glenn, who was hailed as a national hero and a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, then became a national political figure for 24 years in the Senate.
Ohio State University announced his death. Glenn had recently been hospitalised at the university at the James Cancer Centre, though Ohio State officials said at the time that admission there did not necessarily mean he had cancer, New York Times reported.
He had heart-valve replacement surgery in 2014 and a stroke during that time.
