Case, Pin, Lapel, Friendship 7

This presentation case held a lapel pin commemorating the historic flight of astronaut John Glenn in the Friendship 7 spacecraft. On February 20, 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. In Friendship 7, which is also in the Museum's collection, Glenn orbited the Earth three times in a flight that lasted a little less than five hours. It was the third piloted spaceflight of the Project Mercury program. Glenn returned to national acclaim, including a ticker tape parade in New York City. The lapel pin that this case held is one example of the excitement about Glenn's achievement as expressed in material objects.