Recognizing the 45th anniversary of John Hershel Glenn, Jr.'s historic achievement in becoming the first United States astronaut to orbit the Earth.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 252, a resolution commemorating the 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s historic first orbit around the Earth.

John Glenn's accomplishments and service to his country made him an inspiration to a generation of young men and women like me. He was a source of pride for our Nation. His contributions to space exploration helped to change our Nation's way of thinking about the new frontier and taught a generation of Americans to dream big. I am honored that this true American hero was born, raised and educated in Ohio's 18th District.

Born in 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio, and raised in nearby New Concord, John Glenn attended New Concord High School and earned a bachelor of science degree from Muskingum College in New Concord.

John Glenn began his distinguished military career by enlisting in the Naval Aviation Cadet Program, going on to become a Marine pilot, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross on six occasions and the Air Medal with 18 clusters. After leaving the military, John Glenn became a test pilot for the Naval Air Test Center. In 1957 he set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in 3 hours 23 minutes.

While these achievements are without question remarkable and cause for celebration, Madam Speaker, they are not what bring us here today. We are here to appreciate John Glenn's accomplishments in a space flight that revolutionized how Americans viewed space exploration.

In the 1950s, the concept of sending a man into space was foreign to most Americans. A mere 50 years after the Wright brothers made their first brief attempts at manned flight, the prospect of propelling a human being into outer space was daunting.

In 1959, John Glenn volunteered to become one of the original seven astronauts in the Mercury program, the first manned space flight program in the United States. Several years later, John Glenn embarked on his mission. In February of 1962, he became the first man to orbit the Earth, completing that feat three times over.

Madam Speaker, I understand that Senator Glenn knew there was a significant chance he would not survive the flight. I had the pleasure of a conversation with Senator Glenn recently where he told me that he chose to go on the mission because it was the right thing to do, knowing full well he may not return. And it was the right thing to do not for himself, but for America.

A year earlier than that, President Kennedy announced a bold new mission to place a man on the Moon. The success of John Glenn's flight helped bring credence and merit to President Kennedy's goal.

Americans saw that what was once impossible was now possible. The possibilities suddenly seemed endless.

Following the end of his career in aeronautics, Ohio was the fortunate benefactor of John Glenn's public service when he became a United States Senator. He served the State with dignity and honor for 28 years before retiring.

Of course, space exploration was never far from his heart. After retiring from the Senate, he joined the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery and became the oldest man to ever venture into space.

Madam Speaker, I have had the privilege of meeting this American hero. I am struck by his humility and his passion for service to his country. Time and again, he risked his life for the benefit of the American people. He prioritized the good of the whole over the good of the one, and for that I will always admire him.

As a freshman Member of Congress, I often look for examples to follow. For me, John Glenn, along with his beautiful wife, Annie, represent the absolute best this country has to offer. They have shown courage in the face of adversity and selflessness for the sake of making our country better pride. They have instilled in all of us the hope and inspiration and pride that swells the heart and enriches our world.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution to commemorate an achievement that was the catalyst for space exploration and scientific advancement in the United States.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 252, recognizing the 45th anniversary of John Glenn and his historic 1962 orbital flight aboard Friendship 7.

I commend my colleague, the Honorable Zach Space for his efforts on this resolution and am honored to be an original cosponsor.

John Glenn's orbital flight and his many extraordinary achievements in war and peace are appropriately enumerated and memorialized in this resolution--and it is an amazingly long account. Without doubt it is an unsurpassed record of accomplishment that includes six Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and the only Ohioan to serve four consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate.

At Cape Canaveral on February 20, 1962, John Glenn blasted into space and became the first American to orbit the Earth. After several excruciatingly long launch pad delays, people all over the world and every school child in America heard Scott Carpenter's lift off directive--Godspeed John Glenn--soon to be followed by the cool voice of the pilot: ``Roger. Zero Gs and I feel fine. Capsule is turning around. Oh, that view is tremendous!''

As he reached an altitude of 162 miles at a velocity of 17,500 miles an hour, the excitement quickly turned to tension and apprehension when the flight instruments indicated that a loose heat shield threatened a safe return. While the capsule skated back through the atmosphere, Friendship 7 reported a real fireball outside. To our great relief the plume of parachutes and splashdown told us that after a nearly 5 hour flight, Glenn was safe and sound back on Earth.

On February 26, 1962, John Glenn was received with a standing ovation before a Joint Session of Congress in this chamber. Parades in Washington, New York, and New Concord, Ohio, soon followed. Friendship 7 is now prominently displayed in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum near Orville and Wilbur Wright's 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and Apollo XI.

John and Annie Glenn celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary on April 6th. Annie is a true American hero for her extraordinary personal efforts to overcome stuttering. Her public efforts to help others with speech and communication disorders are nationally recognized. She received the first national award of the American Speech and Hearing Association for inspiring those with communicative disorders. The National Association for Hearing and Speech Action annually presents the Annie Glenn Award to an individual achieving distinction despite a communication disorder. She is a national treasure.

In 1941, John Glenn was on his way to Annie's organ recital at Muskingum College

when he heard over the car radio that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. His patriotic public service began shortly thereafter when he volunteered for military service and continues today through his work at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University.

In a lifetime of accomplishment he found in adventure and challenge he met with courage. John Glenn is an American hero. He has proudly served his Nation as soldier and statesman and he still likes to fly.

I join my colleagues in urging the passage of the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 252) recognizing the 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s historic achievement in becoming the first United States astronaut to orbit the Earth.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 252, the resolution now under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 252, recognizing the 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s historic achievement in becoming the first United States astronaut to orbit the Earth.

This resolution recognizes John Glenn's distinguished career as a military officer in the United States Marine Corps, during which he served in combat in the South Pacific and the Korean conflict and received many honors for his military service, as a test pilot on Navy and Marine Corps jet fighters and attack aircraft, and especially as an astronaut on the first manned orbital mission of the United States.

Madam Speaker, on February 20, 1962, John Glenn piloted the Mercury- Atlas 6 Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first U.S. manned orbital space mission, completing three orbits of the

Earth and landing some 5 hours later 800 miles southeast of Kennedy Space Center near Grand Turk Island. With that pioneer flight, John Glenn joined his fellow Americans, Alan Shepard and Virgil Grissom, in realizing the dream of space exploration and engaging the minds and imaginations of his and future generations in the vast potential of space exploration.

This resolution recognizes that John Glenn, having retired from the space program, continued his public service as a distinguished Member of the Senate for 24 years and through his work at the John Glenn Institute at the Ohio State University, which fosters public involvement in the policy-making process.

In 1998, John Glenn returned to space after 36 years as a member of the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery, helping researchers study how weightlessness affects the body of an older person.

Madam Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to support House Resolution 252, to honor this 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s landmark mission, piloting the first manned orbital mission of the United States, and to recognize the profound importance of his achievement as a catalyst to space exploration and scientific advancement in the United States.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Space).

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton).

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me this time.

I rise in support of this resolution honoring the 45th anniversary of John Glenn's historic flight, making him the first American to orbit the Earth.

His journey in the Mercury-Atlas 6 Friendship 7 spacecraft was made all the more incredible by the complications that ensued during the flight. Scheduled for three orbits, the final two had to be piloted on manual control after a malfunction in the automatic controls. Still on manual control, Mr. Glenn piloted the capsule during reentry into the earth's atmosphere.

The spacecraft also sent a signal to the ground that the heat shield, designed to prevent the craft from burning up on reentry, was loose. Though ground control did not tell him, Mr. Glenn quickly deduced there was a problem. An external piece of the craft called a retropack, which was supposed to be jettisoned before reentry was left on to try to keep the heat shield in

place. During the reentry, pieces of retropack flew past the capsule's window in flames. Still, Colonel Glenn landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean to the relief of the Nation. During the flight, John Glenn was subjected to 7.7 Gs and traveled 76,000 miles.

His success helped lay the groundwork for the continuous string of successes NASA has since accumulated. John Glenn went on to continue his lengthy record of public service as a U.S. Senator from Ohio, even returning to space flight in 1999.

When we stand here and look back 45 years, it is almost impossible to imagine that a man would step into a small container with a huge rocket behind it that would propel him into an orbit. And when you think of the kind of courage that he demonstrated then, what is interesting about John Glenn is that all of the attention, the fame and adulation that came after that didn't affect him one bit. He was basically someone who served his country in the military, then went on to serve his country as a U.S. Senator, and while this historic occasion is being recognized, I think also we pay tribute to John Glenn the man, who has demonstrated that it is possible to be able to walk with kings and never lose the common touch.

And also, we celebrate his wife, Annie, who has been a constant companion at Senator Glenn's side and has always represented the finest tradition of American couples. John and Annie Glenn have so much to be proud of, and this Nation owes both of them a debt of gratitude, and I am glad to see that we are honoring the 45th anniversary of his historic flight. Also, I am so pleased that so many of my colleagues from Ohio are here to join in paying tribute to John Glenn.

I thank the gentleman for the time.

Madam Speaker, today I join my colleagues from Ohio and across the country in the celebration of the 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn Jr.'s historic journey around our planet.

Senator Glenn, a proud Ohio native, carried the hopes and dreams of an entire country with him on his February 20, 1962 trip. He carried those dreams in the tiny Friendship 7 space capsule, no more than 9 feet high and 6 feet wide atop the Atlas rocket. He carried those dreams into orbit at the astonishing speed of 5 miles per second.

Senator Glenn piloted the Friendship 7 capsule around the globe three times, becoming the first American to orbit the earth, an accomplishment that raised the spirits of all Americans.

When speaking about the historic journey, Glenn recounted later saying, ``I don't know what you can say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets, three in orbit and one on the surface after I was back on board the ship.''

While Glenn was witnessing sunset from the window of the space capsule, the country was witnessing the sun rising on America's fledgling space program, and our Nation's hunger for space exploration.

I had the tremendous honor of meeting Senator Glenn when I was in high school. I distinctly remember being in awe of his lifetime of accomplishments. He has led this country in almost every way possible, as a pioneering adventurer, as a scientist, as a military hero, as an elected leader, and as a champion of education.

Senator Glenn and all of his accomplishments are an embodiment of our country's can-do attitude. It is in recognition and eternal gratitude that I join my colleagues in rising today to honor this great man and the 45th anniversary of his momentous voyage into the great beyond.

Thank you, Senator Glenn, and may your continued journey through life be a lesson in adventure and bravery to us all.