Pioneers of the Sky

John Glenn, Virgil Grissom & Alan Shepard

This Life magazine cover features the images and signatures of three American space
pioneers. Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space when his Freedom 7
rocket rode 116 miles into sub orbit on live television on May 5, 1961. Virgil “Gus”
Grissom followed him into space on July 21, 1961 aboard Liberty Bell 7. On February
20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth and the first human
to complete more than one orbit aboard Friendship 7.