Americans in Space
by Wade Bailey
1. Training
1.1. In one test, the astronauts are spun around at high speed until the pressure on their bodies is 16 times that of their own weight.
1.2. A NASA plane, dubbed the Vomit Comet, flies up and then down like a roller coaster. At the top of each arc, the men are weightless.
2. Other Two Americans in Space
2.1. U.S. sends astronaut Alan Shepard into space.
2.2. In July, astronaut Gus Grissom repeats Shepard's brief hop into space.
3. Criteria in Space
3.1. Astronaut candidates must be no taller than 5 feet 11 inches
3.2. Astronauts must be between the ages of 25 and 40
3.3. They also must have at least 1,500 hours of flying time.
4. John Glenn
4.1. John Glenn is the oldest and holds the highest military rank — Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines.
4.2. Born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio
4.3. While closing the capsule hatch, a bolt breaks. Then fuel is needed; a valve sticks; a tracking station goes down.
4.4. A roar of flame at 9:47 a.m. ends the wait. In one minute, the engines burn more fuel than a jet flight from New York to Los Angeles.
4.5. The boosters cut off, and Glenn watches the rocket fall away.
4.6. Glenn waits inside a cabin so small, he can barely move.
4.7. Over 100 million people sit in front of their televisions, waiting.
