WASHINGTON (AP) — When John Glenn soared into space as the first American in orbit, Scott Carpenter wished him bon voyage with three simple words: “Godspeed, John Glenn.” Glenn bid farewell to his lifelong pal who died Thursday in the same way.

“Godspeed, Scott Carpenter –Great Friend,” Glenn, the last remaining Mercury 7 astronaut, said in a statement issued by his spokesman on Friday. He added: “You are missed.”