John Glenn had one of the most unusual American careers of the 20th century — war hero, test pilot, astronaut, and U.S. senator.

Career highlights:

1. Marine Corps combat pilot (WWII & Korea)

• Flew 59 combat missions in World War II in the Pacific.

• Flew 90 missions in Korea.

• Shot down 3 MiG-15s in the Korean War, earning the nickname “MiG Mad Marine.”    

2. Record-setting test pilot (1957)

• Made the first supersonic transcontinental flight across the U.S. (“Project Bullet”) in just over 3 hours 23 minutes, setting a speed record.

3. Mercury Seven astronaut (1959)

• Selected as one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven, America’s first astronaut class.

4. First American to orbit Earth (1962)

• Piloted Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962.

• Completed 3 Earth orbits in under 5 hours.

• This was one of the biggest early American wins in the Space Race.    

5. U.S. Senator from Ohio (1974–1999)

• Served 24 years in the U.S. Senate.

• Worked on nuclear nonproliferation, science policy, and government oversight.

6. Returned to space at age 77 (1998)

• Flew on Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to go to space at that time.

• Participated in aging and human physiology research.

Major honors:

• Multiple Distinguished Flying Crosses

• Congressional Space Medal of Honor

• NASA Distinguished Service Medal

• Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012)

One of my favorite historical autographs! To the moon! 🚀 🌙. Literally!

One of my favorite PCs and looking to add more. Back in ‘04 I got to play “astronaut for a day” at Kennedy Space Center in FL. Included was an intimate hour-long lunch with Apollo 15 command module pilot, Col. Alfred Worden. Boy howdy he had some things to say about the modern bureaucracy of NASA. The man was royalty there and said exactly how he felt, much to the chagrin of his staff handler. After lunch, he took the time to chat with each of us individually for a few minutes and sign autographs. I’ve never been in the company of a more interesting human. RIP “Al” (as he politely asked us to call him) (1932-2020).

If anyone has any Al Worden cards not pictured, I would probably be interested in buying or trading! I’m also interested in any other interesting astronaut cards, especially Buzz Aldrin and Edgar Mitchell.

Big time PC auto? Superfractor? My first card from when I was eight? Nope, nope, and nope. This is 1991 Space Shots Moon Mars card number 7, featuring Buzz Aldrin on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. It’s also in the old-school Action Packed style - double thickness card with round corners and the front picture embossed (see pic 3!). For a 90’s collector and big time space nerd, this card is peak awesome, and this is one of my all-time favorite cards.

I met John Glenn when was 90. He was a great man, a scholar, and a great American.

• Military Service: Glenn was a U.S. Marine Corps pilot who flew combat missions in both World War II and the Korean War.

• Test Pilot: He became a highly respected test pilot, setting a transcontinental speed record in 1957 by flying from Los Angeles to New York in under 3.5 hours (“Project Bullet”).

• NASA and Mercury Seven: In 1959, Glenn was selected as one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven astronauts.

• First American to Orbit the Earth: On February 20, 1962, during the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission aboard Friendship 7, he became the first American to orbit the Earth — circling the globe three times.

• Political Career: After retiring from NASA and the military, Glenn served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio for 24 years (1974–1999).

• Return to Space: In 1998, at age 77, Glenn flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-95 mission), becoming the oldest person ever to fly in space.