John Glenn, Space Pioneer And Former Senator, Dead At 95

John Glenn, pioneer of flight and space exploration, as well as former U.S. Senator, passed away Thursday after suffering from several health complications in recent years.

He was 95.

In 1954, Glenn won an assignment as a Marine test pilot and, in 1957, set a transcontinental speed record for the first flight to average supersonic speeds from Los Angeles to New York. 

In 1959, he was selected to be one of seven NASA Mercury astronauts from an original pool of 508. Three years later, on February 20, 1962, he made history as the first American to orbit the earth, completing three orbits in a five-hour flight and returning to a hero's welcome.

In 1974, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He retired from the Senate at the end of his term in January 1999.

Glenn returned to space from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7, 1998, as a member of NASA's Shuttle STS-95 Discovery mission during which the crew supported 83 research payloads and investigations on space flight and aging. He is the oldest person to have flown in space. 

Glenn is survived by his wife Annie, son Dave, daughter Lyn and two grandchildren.