It was 2:20 am on Tuesday, February 20, 1962, when John Glenn rolled out of bed and got ready to step into the history books with the flight of Mercury-Atlas 6 and Friendship 7. Did you know that the name Friendship 7 was actually suggested by Glenn’s children? Or that the flight was delayed ten times before finally launching? On Friday, February 3, the monthly Launch Pad Lecture features Museum Educator Michael Shinabery who takes a closer look at Glenn’s famous mission, its problems and its successes.
The Launch Pad Lecture is free to the public and is held at 9 a.m. on the Museum's first floor. Coffee and donuts are compliments of the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation. The next Launch Pad Lecture will be on March 3, 2017 and the topic will be Say Cheese: The First Photo From Space with Museum Executive Director Chris Orwoll.
The Launch Pad Lectures are streamed live on Periscope and are available on the museum’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SirhgX3NsxcREfOVLjHeA.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at: www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum/
PHOTO CUTLINE: With the help of technicians, Astronaut John Glenn enters the Friendship 7 capsule for his historic flight on February 20, 1962. Learn more about the flight and the man during the free Launch Pad Lecture at 9:00 am on Friday, February 3 at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. (Photo courtesy NASA.)