| Godspeed, John Glenn by Richard Hilliard |
GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN by Richard Hilliard
Release Date: 10/2006
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Pages: 32
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
For John Glenn, becoming an astronaut seemed natural. After
taking an airplane ride as a small boy, he became a Marine
Corps fighter pilot during both World War II and the Korean
War. Besides the numerous medals that he won during these
wars, including being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
on six different occasions, Mr. Glenn grew to love flying even
more than he had as a boy. This led to a job as a test pilot for
experimental aircraft.
It seemed only natural that in 1959 John Glenn was chosen,
along with six other men, to form the Mercury Seven--men who
would train with NASA to become astronauts. As they withstood
the difficult training that they'd need before they could ever
enter into space, NASA was busy sending animals, including
Ham the chimpanzee, into orbit to test the body's ability to deal
with weightlessness and other issues.
John Glenn's day finally came on February 20, 1962, when he
boarded the Friendship 7 and was shot into space. After
orbiting the Earth three times, he was forced to return due to a
malfunction aboard his capsule. However, that first man-made
orbit into space gave President John F. Kennedy the facts he
needed to make a push for a man eventually landing on the
Moon.
GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN is an excellent illustrated biography,
perfect for a middle school library or classroom. For those
students interested in space or history, this is a great book from
which to gain knowledge of both.
Release Date: 10/2006
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Pages: 32
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
For John Glenn, becoming an astronaut seemed natural. After
taking an airplane ride as a small boy, he became a Marine
Corps fighter pilot during both World War II and the Korean
War. Besides the numerous medals that he won during these
wars, including being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
on six different occasions, Mr. Glenn grew to love flying even
more than he had as a boy. This led to a job as a test pilot for
experimental aircraft.
It seemed only natural that in 1959 John Glenn was chosen,
along with six other men, to form the Mercury Seven--men who
would train with NASA to become astronauts. As they withstood
the difficult training that they'd need before they could ever
enter into space, NASA was busy sending animals, including
Ham the chimpanzee, into orbit to test the body's ability to deal
with weightlessness and other issues.
John Glenn's day finally came on February 20, 1962, when he
boarded the Friendship 7 and was shot into space. After
orbiting the Earth three times, he was forced to return due to a
malfunction aboard his capsule. However, that first man-made
orbit into space gave President John F. Kennedy the facts he
needed to make a push for a man eventually landing on the
Moon.
GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN is an excellent illustrated biography,
perfect for a middle school library or classroom. For those
students interested in space or history, this is a great book from
which to gain knowledge of both.