Doctors Feared John Glenn Would Go Space-Blind During Historic Orbit

In 1962 , space travelling was n’t what you ’d call an “ precise ” science . NASA was only a few years old and nobody really knew how human race would cope outside the standard atmosphere . Now , 50 year after his historical orbit , John Glenn recalls what his doctors thought would happen in zero sombreness .

Physicians worry that , among other maladies , Glenn ’s orb would distort from the lack of solemnity and prevent him from piloting the escape vehicle if he needed to make an emergency reentry . They also believed that his inner spike would finish to function , resulting in paralyzing vertigo , and that he ’d be unable to swallow without the aid of the Earth ’s pull .

If Glenn was worried , he did n’t let on . gratefully , his flight aboard Friendship 7 on February 20th , 1962 was a sodding success . He categorized the concerns as “ so primitive now , they ’re almost laughable ” during an address to NASA staff at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday . [ Business Insider ]