Mercury-Atlas 6Atlas LV-3B National Aeronautics and Space Administration Launch Status Success Tue ยท Feb 20th, 1962 9:47 AM EST Crew John Glenn Pilot Status: Deceased 7/18/1921 - 12/8/2016 Nationality: American Type: Government First Flight: 2/20/1962 Last Flight: 10/29/1998 Colonel John Herschel Glenn Jr. was a United States Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962. Following his retirement from NASA, he served from 1974 to 1999 as a Democratic United States Senator from Ohio. Mission Mercury-Atlas 6 Type: Human Exploration Mercury-Atlas 6 was the third crewed spaceflight for the United States. The spacecraft, named Friendship 7, completed three orbits making John Glenn the first United States astronaut to orbit Earth. The mission lasted for 4 hours, 55 minutes & 23seconds. Location Space Launch Complex 14 Cape Canaveral, FL, USA 214 rockets have launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, USA. Rocket Atlas Length: 28.7 meters Diameter: 3 meters First Launch: July 29, 1960 The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets. The Atlas rocket has been launched a total of 7 times with 6 successful and 1 failed launches. Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration Type: Government Abbreviation: NASA Administration: Administrator: Jim Bridenstine Founded: 1958 Launchers: Space Shuttle | SLS Spacecraft: Orion Country: USA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. View Rocket Launch Schedule