At 9:47 a.m. on February 20, 1962, John Herschel Glenn Jr. lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in Friendship 7. He was ready to do something that no American had done before—fly a spacecraft around the Earth. After nearly five hours in space, orbiting the Earth three times, Glenn landed the spacecraft safely in the Atlantic Ocean. He was an instant hero. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the historic flight. Watch this 2009 NASA video about Glenn's journey into space. (Video courtesy NASA)