ON FEBRUARY 20, 1962, AS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WAITED ANXIOUSLY, astronaut John Glenn blasted off in his rocket ship, Friendship 7, and became the first American to orbit the Earth. Although the risks of such a mission were well known, neither they--nor Glenn--knew the peril he was about to encounter. John Glenn was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts, the early pioneers of manned space flight portrayed in the film The Right Stuff. His historic flight followed years of intensive physical training--and a devotion to the pursuit of a career in the exciting but risk-filled world of aviation.Ruth Ashby's dramatic story of John Glenn's near-disastrous mission in Friendship 7 also takes young readers through his small-town Ohio boyhood, his extraordinary experiences as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his life as an astronaut in the prestigious and dangerous Mercury 7 program. The book concludes with Glenn's successful career as a U.S. senator and his triumphant return to space in 1998 at the age of 77.Throughout, Ashby demonstrates how Glenn's love of flying and his steadfast commitment to both his family and the realization of his full potential was the foundation of all the great things he accomplished in his life.