John Glenn "John Glenn: A Memoir" Signed First Edition of 3,500 w/COA [Sealed]

Own a piece of NASA space history.

This Signed First Edition has personally signed by Senator John Glenn, the first astronaut to orbit the earth!

Easton Press, Norwalk, CT. 1999 John Glenn with Nick Taylor. "John Glenn: A Memoir" Signed First Edition. This edition has been personally signed by John Glenn on a special limitation page. Limited to 3500 signed and numbered copies. Luxuriously bound in full genuine black leather. Includes original Certificate of Authenticity from the publisher.

He was the first astronaut to orbit the Earth. Nearly four decades later, as the world's oldest astronaut, his courage riveted a nation. But these two historical events only bracketed a life that covers the sweep of an extraordinary century.

John Glenn's autobiography spans the seminal events of the twentieth century. It is a story that begins with his childhood in Ohio where he learned the importance of family, community, and patriotism. He took these values with him as a marine fighter pilot during World War II and into the skies over Korea, for which he would be decorated. Always a gifted flier, it was during the war that he contemplated the unlimited possibilities of aviation and its frontiers.

We see the early days of NASA, where he first served as a backup pilot for astronauts Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom. In 1962 Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States. Then came several years in international business, followed by a twenty-four year career as a U.S. Senator-and in 1998 a return to space for his remarkable Discover mission at the age of seventy-seven.

From the publisher Piece, "On February 20, 1962 John Glenn was launched into space from Cape Kennedy, Florida and proceeded to pilot the Friendship 7 spacecraft three times around the Earth. When he returned to Earth five hours later, he had become not merely the first American to orbit the world, but a living legend.the former senator and astronaut takes us on a compelling journey through a most remarkable life.Glenn reveals how integrity, dedication, and ambition made an ordinary American boy become a 'hero'.

Review of "John Glenn: A Memoir"

At a time when overwritten biographies arguably provide too much information about their subjects, astronaut-turned-politician-turned-astronaut John Glenn's breezy memoir is welcome. His life story is simply told, not terribly reflective but enormously compelling: an Ohio boy grows up to become the first American to orbit the earth, takes a shot at the presidency but misses, and triumphantly returns to outer space as a senior citizen and national hero. Following a section on his youth, Glenn describes being a fighter pilot in the Second World War and Korea (where he lived in the same Quonset hut as baseball legend Ted Williams), as well as a test pilot. The highlight of the book is Project Mercury, the early NASA effort that hurled Glenn 150 miles above the planet in a tiny capsule--"flying from one day into the next and back again." In less than five hours, Glenn observed three sunsets and sunrises. He also conducted a few basic experiments, such as "squeezing some applesauce from a toothpaste-like tube into my mouth to see if weightlessness interfered with swallowing. It didn't." Upon his return to earth, Glenn made a few abortive runs for the Senate. He was finally elected in 1974 as a Democrat and served for 24 years. In 1984, he sought his party's presidential nomination, and it looked like he was the one candidate potentially capable of beating President Reagan. But he stumbled and had to quit. The final pages detail Glenn's 1998 mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery at the age of 77. Just as his journeys riveted the nation, Glenn's memoir will grip its readers. --John J. Miller

About John Glenn

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio) is a former astronaut who became the first American to orbit the Earth, and later, United States Senator. Glenn began his career as a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program, NASA's original astronaut group. He orbited the Earth aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. After retiring from NASA, he ran as a Democrat and represented the state of Ohio in the United States Senate from 1974 to 1999.

He was honored with a Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978 and was inducted into the Astronauts Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1998 he became the oldest person to fly in space and the only person to fly on the first and most recent US space programs (Mercury and Shuttle programs) when, at the age of 77, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-95). Glenn and M. Scott Carpenter are the last surviving members of the Mercury Seven as of November 2008.


Medals and decorations

Military

* Distinguished Flying Cross 6,
* Air Medal 19
* Navy Unit Commendation
* Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

Civilian

* The Woodrow Wilson Award
* NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Popular Culture

* Quote attributed to John Glenn: "As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind: Every part of this capsule was supplied by the lowest bidder."[citation needed]

* Glenn guest starred on Frasier as himself in the episode "Docu. Drama" which revolves around a space documentary for radio.

* He's mentioned in Billy Joel's history themed song "We Didn't Start the Fire".

* Ian Brown's Unfinished Monkey Business features a track called My Star where the words "God speed, John Glenn" are sampled.

* Glenn was against a plan to allow live television coverage in the Senate, fearing it would reduce their debates to soundbytes. On the first day cameras were allowed in, he ridiculed the decision by applying makeup to his balding head during comments on the floor. Ironically, it became the most frequently broadcast portion of the debate.

* He was portrayed by actor Ed Harris in the motion picture The Right Stuff.

* He is a Master Mason and a member of Concord Lodge 688 in New Concord, Ohio.

* John Glenn was parodied several times on the show X-Play