Ask anyone what he or she considers to be the crowning achievement of the United States space program and the answer is almost always the first manned mission to the moon on July 20, 1969. It's difficult to argue with that assessment. There is, however, another date often overlooked when considering the most important milestone in the U.S. space program. On Feb. 20, 1962 -- 50 years ago today -- John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.
Many of those more familiar with the tragedies and glories of the now-grounded space shuttles than the early days of U.S. space travel probably regard Glenn's three-orbit, almost five-hour spaceflight more as an interesting footnote than an achievement for the ages. It was far more than that. It what has come to be called a teaching moment.
Glenn's successful flight united Americans at a time when the national mood was bleak. Though President John F. Kennedy's call to send a man to the moon by the end of the 1960s was stirring, the nation had little to show for the effort that he inspired at the time of Glenn's mission. The Soviet Union, which started the space race in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, was clearly the leader in the field. That was a blow to U.S. pride and, during the Cold War, a direct threat to the nation's world standing.
Glenn's flight instantly changed that. By today's standards, his trip was short, the equipment primitive and the achievement routine. In context, the mission was heroic, a harbinger of future missions and programs that restored the U.S. prominence in science and technology.
His journey, though, was far from a sure thing. The Mercury program that sent Glenn into space was troubled. His flight in Friendship 7 was delayed 10 times over several weeks by technical issues and bad weather. Once aloft, there were problems, too. Glenn overcame them.
Glenn had to take manual control of the capsule when automatic systems malfunctioned. There were indications that the heat shield was loose and that the craft would burn upon re-entry into the atmosphere. Millions of Americans and countless others around the globe, still awed by the notion of space travel and disquieted by the dangers inherent in it, followed the flight with wonder and dread. Its success prompted a joyous national celebration.
That celebration will be echoed today at Cape Canaveral, when Glenn, now 90, and the few members of the Mercury team still alive gather for commemorative ceremonies. The acclaim they'll receive is well deserved, but the gathering is more than a celebration of a single, albeit important, flight. Today's anniversary is also a a reminder of the way things were and could be again.
Glenn's mission did not occur in a vacuum. It was made feasible by a unity that transcended the partisanship that paralyzes efficient government. Fifty years after Glenn's flight, there's no shortage of U.S. heroes. There is, however, an appalling lack of harmony and political civility that makes pursuit of many national goals impossible. The past clearly has a lesson to teach today's political leaders. Sadly, most are not listening.