feb 20, 1962 - First American in Space

Description:

An Atlas rocket carried the first American into space, John H. Glenn Jr. He orbited Earth three times, for a total of 4 hours and 55 minutes. Unfortunately, a sensor indicated that the heat shield was loose. Glenn made an emergency landing. On the bright side, the sensor was faulty instead of the heat shield. If the heat shield was faulty Glenn would have burned up on re-entry, along with his spacecraft.