February 20, 1962 was a good day for America. In just four hours and 52 minutes, John Glenn made the country a serious player in the space race and he became an instant hero when he orbited the earth—the first American to do so—three times aboard the Friendship 7. Newsweek's March 5, 1962 cover story reported on the journey that millions across the globe listened to as Glenn proved that man can function in space, and that courage, modesty and curiosity hadn't been corrupted in the country. The story, along with quotes and images from Glenn's space transmissions, are republished in full below.
For days afterward, Americans walked about in a comfortable glow, as if weightless themselves.
Following the years of uncertainty, the months of delay, the final moments of foreboding and impending disaster, John H. Glenn's achievement had lifted the self-doubt that had plagued the United States since the first sputnik flashed th1·ough the night skies of October 1957.
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