Nearly 55 years ago, an Atlas rocket took John Glenn into space. Now, a space supply shipped named for the late astronaut is on its way to the International Space Station.
A commercial cargo ship named the S.S. John Glenn will deliver more than 7,000 pounds of food, equipment and research to the space station. It is expected to arrive Saturday.
Orbital ATK, received permission from Glenn’s widow Annie, to name the spacecraft after husband shortly after his death in December.
Glenn was the first astronaut to orbit the Earth in 1962 as an original member of the Mercury 7 team. He also became the oldest person in space in 1998 when he took part in the Discovery launch at age 77.
The launch was another first for NASA, as it marks the first time it presented a launch with a full 360-degree view. Four fish-eye lens cameras were placed at the periphery of the pad, nearly 300 feet from the rocket. A computer located in a blast-proof box rendered the images together for full panoramic view.
“It’s great, I mean, to be able to get in there and experience that 360-degree view,” said Vern Thorp, a program manager for rocket maker United Launch Alliance told reporters Monday. “It really gives you a new perspective that we’ve never been able to do before.”
