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RIP John Glenn :(

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Frybert

Frybert

Posted
Posted

Fate has ordained that a man who went to space to explore in peace, has now returned to the earth to rest in peace. He will be mourned by his family, he will be mourned by his nation, he will be mourned by the people of the world, he will be mourned by a mother earth that dared send her son into the unknown. In ancient days, men looked to the stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same  but our heros are epic men of flesh and blood.

 

 

(Slightly changed and condensed version of the speech Nixon would have given in the event of an Apollo 11 tragedy, but I think is appropriate in this circumstance.)

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adsii1970

adsii1970

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Posted (edited)

Dear Colonel Glenn,

I want to thank you for the world of science and spaceflight to which you and your fellow astronauts introduced me. I was born after your Mercury flight, but I read every article about you in Time Magazine, Boy's Life, and even the various local newspapers where we lived throughout my childhood. You were the first American to orbit the Earth and I came to know you as the man in the picture that hung in my third grade class, next to President Jimmy Carter's picture. From that moment forward, you were one of my childhood heroes when I learned who you were and what you did. Again, you raised my interests in maned space flight as you became the oldest man in space as you flew as the Payload Specialist aboard the STS Discovery on STS-95. With that mission you taught me that no one is ever to old to reach the stars - whatever their stars may be.

You've now joined my other heroes, great men whom I've respected; Alan Shepherd, Gus Grissom, Neal Armstrong, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Gene Roddenberry, Admiral Chester W, Nimitz, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington, and General George S. Patton (and a few others) who have gone to what awaits mortals beyond the shroud of death. You, as they did, taught me from my youth about duty, honor, and country and selfless sacrifice for the greater good. May you now rest in peace.

Alan Simmons
Sergeant, United States Army (DV)

 

 

Edited by adsii1970
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Guest

Guest

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John Glenn, you have truly impacted all of our lives.  You did what many others would not: you got into a tin can mounted on top of a firework, and blasted off.  But you saw something amazing.  If it had not been for you, space travel simply would not be the same.  You may not have been the first man in space, but you were a first astronaut, and that is even more important.  You gave the Soviets a run for their money, and you directly helped us get to the moon.  But you weren't done there, were you?  You then also participated in the shuttle program, putting yourself at risk to serve not just your country, but humanity.  You are a true hero, and though you may be gone in substance, you will never die in our hearts, or our minds.

Edited by Guest
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razark

razark

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

You were the first American in space...

 

43 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

You may not have been the first man in space, but you were the first astronaut...

 

 

From The Right Stuff:

Quote

Frank Sharp (Texan): Which one are you?

Alan Shepard: Shepard.

Frank Sharp (Texan): Oh yeah? Well, which one's Glenn? He's the one I want to meet.

Alan Shepard: He's right over there.

Frank Sharp (Texan): 'Scuse me.

 

Edited by razark
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KAL 9000

KAL 9000

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Posted
13 hours ago, CliftonM said:

John Glenn, you have truly impacted all of our lives.  You did what many others would not: you got into a tin can mounted on top of a firework, and blasted off.  But you saw something amazing.  If it had not been for you, space travel simply would not be the same.  You may not have been the first man in space, but you were the first astronaut, and that is even more important.  You gave the Soviets a run for their money, and you directly helped us get to the moon.  But you weren't done there, were you?  You then also participated in the shuttle program, putting yourself at risk to serve not just your country, but humanity.  You are a true hero, and though you may be gone in substance, you will never die in our hearts, or our minds.

Actually, Al Shepard was technically the first astronaut.

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LordFerret

LordFerret

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Posted (edited)

The mark of an era gone by, and a sad one at that. Things were definitely better back then, to that I'll testify.

RIP John Glenn. I remember your flight like it was yesterday. Godspeed.
http://www.space.com/34969-john-glenn-astronaut-spaceflight-legacy.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/john-glenn-dies.html?_r=0

Edited by LordFerret
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Matuchkin

Matuchkin

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, KAL 9000 said:

Yuri Gagarin was a cosmonaut.

 

1 hour ago, razark said:

True, but Gagarin was a cosmonaut, not an astronaut.

Isn't Cosmonaut and Astronaut the exact same thing?

 

Yuri Gagarin was the first person to go to space in a pod and return alive.

Alan Shepard was the first American to go to space in a pod and return alive.

Edited by Matuchkin
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