Space History Photo: Glenn at the Cape

Astronaut John Glenn is shown in his silver Mercury spacesuit during pre-flight training at Cape Canaveral. CREDIT: NASA. View full size image

In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. in his silver Mercury spacesuit during pre- flight training activities at Cape Canaveral. On February 20, 1962 Glenn lifted off into space aboard his Mercury Atlas (MA-6) rocket and became the first American to orbit the Earth. After orbiting the Earth 3 times, Friendship 7 landed in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds later, just East of Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas. Glenn and his capsule were recovered by the Navy Destroyer Noa, 21 minutes after splashdown.

Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight through photos (archive).