End of an Era - R.I.P. John Glenn

The last of our first astronauts is gone - John Glenn, last survivor of NASA's first astronaut class in 1959 died on Thursday (Perhaps surprisingly, he was also the oldest in the class)

He flew as a marine during World War II. In 1957 he became the first pilot to fly a supersonic plane across the United States. He was also a U.S. Senator for many years.

In 1998 he returned to space - at the age of 77. So far he is the oldest human being in space - and a true pioneer.