Philosophy
A worthy investment and a Happy Meal.
Famed Mercury astronaut John Glenn has an open seat at his lunch table, provided you're willing to foot the bill.
Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, is offering an afternoon lunch as part of a charity auction for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which is raising college scholarship funds for aspiring engineers and scientists.
It was 50 years ago today that NASA unveiled Glenn and the six other Mercury astronauts - the country's first spaceflyers - to the world in a frenzied press conference that made the seven men instant national heroes. On that April 9 in 1959, Glenn compared his feelings for spaceflight to those of the Wright Brothers as they prepared for their history-making air flights.
"I think we stand on the verge of something as big and as expansive as that was fifty years ago," Glenn, now 87, said in that briefing according to NASA's transcript, adding that he and the other Mercury astronauts felt lucky and blessed to be part of it. "This can mean an awful lot to this country, of course."
At the time, the United States was embroiled in a Space Race with the former Soviet Union, one that culminated in the Apollo missions that landed Americans on the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s.Since then, more than 300 NASA astronauts have followed, with another 10 or 12 expected to join the agency's spaceflying corps in a few weeks' time.
But Glenn and his fellow Mercury astronauts - Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, Scott Carpenter, Donald "Deke" Slayton, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper - have been the popular image for America's past and present astronaut corps. Five of the seven have passed away in the last five decades, with Glenn and Carpenter all that remain.
Glenn first launched into space in 1962 aboard his Mercury capsule Friendship 7. It was America's third manned spaceflight after the suborbital trips of Shepard and Grissom, but the first to reach orbit and he circled the Earth three times before landing.
In 1998, Glenn launched into space again at age 77 aboard NASA's shuttle Discovery, setting a world record for the oldest human to fly in space. Unlike his first flight, Glenn spent nine full days in space performing experiments to investigate spaceflight and the aging process. He also served as a senator for his home state of Ohio for 24 years before retiring in 1999.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's last lunch date with Glenn fetched a cool $6,050 during a 2008 auction. But the experience is not the only one up for sale. Seven other astronaut experiences are for sale - including a meal with Carpenter - and other astronaut memorabilia are also up for grabs to benefit the foundation's scholarships.
While the online bidding for the foundation's auction opened Thursday, it runs through April 18. Click here for more information via the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation .
NASA space trivia
The "truth" is out there?
- Deceased--scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter May 1st, 1925 to October 10th, 2013 Six of the seven of the Mercury Seven have passed away...John Glenn is the last. "Scott Carpenter, Mercury Astronaut Who Orbited Earth, Dies at 88" by Richard Goldstein October 10th, 2013 The New York...
- John Glenn And A Life Of 50 Years
Glenn, his daughter Lyn (left), wife Annie, son David, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson at Cape Canaveral, February 22, 1962, two days after his historic orbital flight in Friendship 7 and the day before he received NASA's Distinguished Service Medal...
- Deceased--thomas J. O’malley
Thomas J. O’Malley October 8th, 1915 to November 6th, 2009 "Thomas J. O’Malley, Who Helped Launch Glenn Into Orbit, Dies at 94" by Dennis Hevesi November 12th, 2009 The New York Times Thomas J. O’Malley, the aviation engineer who pushed the button...
- Nasa Space Trivia
Good material for trivia at a cocktail party. "The Adventures of Cece Bibby: On and Off The Launch Pad" by Lawrence McGlynn September 9th, 2005 space.com In 1959, Cecelia "Cece" Bibby found her way into the RCA graphics arts department located at...
- The "truth" Is Out There?
"An argument ensues between Frasier and Roz, and they retire to the control room to have it out in private. As they do, Glenn -- in the studio all by himself -- begins...completely out of context with anything else that has happened in the show, or with...
Philosophy
Lunch with John Glenn...for a price
A worthy investment and a Happy Meal.
"For Sale: A Lunch Date with Astronaut John Glenn"
April 9th, 2009
SPACE.com
April 9th, 2009
SPACE.com
Famed Mercury astronaut John Glenn has an open seat at his lunch table, provided you're willing to foot the bill.
Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, is offering an afternoon lunch as part of a charity auction for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which is raising college scholarship funds for aspiring engineers and scientists.
It was 50 years ago today that NASA unveiled Glenn and the six other Mercury astronauts - the country's first spaceflyers - to the world in a frenzied press conference that made the seven men instant national heroes. On that April 9 in 1959, Glenn compared his feelings for spaceflight to those of the Wright Brothers as they prepared for their history-making air flights.
"I think we stand on the verge of something as big and as expansive as that was fifty years ago," Glenn, now 87, said in that briefing according to NASA's transcript, adding that he and the other Mercury astronauts felt lucky and blessed to be part of it. "This can mean an awful lot to this country, of course."
At the time, the United States was embroiled in a Space Race with the former Soviet Union, one that culminated in the Apollo missions that landed Americans on the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s.Since then, more than 300 NASA astronauts have followed, with another 10 or 12 expected to join the agency's spaceflying corps in a few weeks' time.
But Glenn and his fellow Mercury astronauts - Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, Scott Carpenter, Donald "Deke" Slayton, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper - have been the popular image for America's past and present astronaut corps. Five of the seven have passed away in the last five decades, with Glenn and Carpenter all that remain.
Glenn first launched into space in 1962 aboard his Mercury capsule Friendship 7. It was America's third manned spaceflight after the suborbital trips of Shepard and Grissom, but the first to reach orbit and he circled the Earth three times before landing.
In 1998, Glenn launched into space again at age 77 aboard NASA's shuttle Discovery, setting a world record for the oldest human to fly in space. Unlike his first flight, Glenn spent nine full days in space performing experiments to investigate spaceflight and the aging process. He also served as a senator for his home state of Ohio for 24 years before retiring in 1999.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's last lunch date with Glenn fetched a cool $6,050 during a 2008 auction. But the experience is not the only one up for sale. Seven other astronaut experiences are for sale - including a meal with Carpenter - and other astronaut memorabilia are also up for grabs to benefit the foundation's scholarships.
While the online bidding for the foundation's auction opened Thursday, it runs through April 18. Click here for more information via the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation .
NASA space trivia
The "truth" is out there?
- Deceased--scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter May 1st, 1925 to October 10th, 2013 Six of the seven of the Mercury Seven have passed away...John Glenn is the last. "Scott Carpenter, Mercury Astronaut Who Orbited Earth, Dies at 88" by Richard Goldstein October 10th, 2013 The New York...
- John Glenn And A Life Of 50 Years
Glenn, his daughter Lyn (left), wife Annie, son David, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson at Cape Canaveral, February 22, 1962, two days after his historic orbital flight in Friendship 7 and the day before he received NASA's Distinguished Service Medal...
- Deceased--thomas J. O’malley
Thomas J. O’Malley October 8th, 1915 to November 6th, 2009 "Thomas J. O’Malley, Who Helped Launch Glenn Into Orbit, Dies at 94" by Dennis Hevesi November 12th, 2009 The New York Times Thomas J. O’Malley, the aviation engineer who pushed the button...
- Nasa Space Trivia
Good material for trivia at a cocktail party. "The Adventures of Cece Bibby: On and Off The Launch Pad" by Lawrence McGlynn September 9th, 2005 space.com In 1959, Cecelia "Cece" Bibby found her way into the RCA graphics arts department located at...
- The "truth" Is Out There?
"An argument ensues between Frasier and Roz, and they retire to the control room to have it out in private. As they do, Glenn -- in the studio all by himself -- begins...completely out of context with anything else that has happened in the show, or with...