John Glenn

"I don't think many people remember what life was like in those days … This was the era when the Russians were claiming superiority, and they could make a pretty good case — they put up Sputnik in '57; they had already sent men into space to orbit the earth… There was this fear that perhaps communism was the wave of the future. The astronauts, all of us, really believed we were locked in a battle of democracy versus communism, where the winner would dominate the world."

"The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel."

"To me, there is no greater calling … If I can inspire young people to dedicate themselves to the good of mankind, I've accomplished something."

"Godspeed, John Glenn."

"I pray every day and I think everybody should. I don't think you can be up here and look out the window as I did the first day and look out at the Earth from this vantage point. We're not so high compared to people who went to the moon and back. But to look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is, to me, impossible. It just strengthens my faith."

"Could this have just happened? . . . I can’t believe that ... Some Power put all this into orbit and keeps it there."

"Ich empfand die Schwerelosigkeit als äußerst angenehm [...] Die Tatsache, dass man dieses seltsame Phänomen da oben als so natürlich empfindet, bezeugt, wie schnell der Mensch sich einer neuen Umgebung anpassen kann. [...] Dieser Zustand ist sogar so angenehm, dass wir schließlich scherzhaft meinten, der Mensch könne leicht süchtig danach werden. Ich zumindest könnte es."