On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn spent four hours and 56 minutes in space, orbiting Earth three times in one of the most highly anticipated events in American history. The thrilling mission propelled the U.S. in its space race against Russia, and Glenn became a national hero the moment he splashed down in the Atlantic. He followed that with an extraordinarily rich and productive life, serving four terms as an Ohio senator and, remarkably, returning to space at age 77 in 1998. This riveting, lavishly illustrated 100-page special edition of TIME brings Glenn, and his signature achievements, to life through an unmatched level of journalism. Among the highlights:
- Original real-time reporting of Glenn’s astounding spaceflight and the Mercury 7
- The beautiful love story of John and Annie Glenn, married for 73 years
- A timeline chronicling man’s progress in outer space
- The Right Stuff: Glenn’s exceptional makeup from Tom Wolfe’s classic book
- Glenn as statesman: TIME assesses the astronaut’s political legacy
