CITY OF LIGHT - 50 YEARS IN SPACE - John Glenn

NASA Picture

On February 20, this year, WA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of a very significant event.  On that day in 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in the Friendship 7 spacecraft. On this mission, Glenn flew over Perth and the people of Perth turned on their lights to acknowledge his mission. Glenn observed that the city was clearly visible from space and Perth became known worldwide as the ‘City of Light’.  This early space exploration mission set the stage for the Gemini and Apollo programs which culminated in NASA landing men on the moon. [more...]