“Godspeed, John Glenn”

John Glenn boarded the Friendship 7 capsule at 11:03 UTC. Before the mission could even begin, an hour-long repair to the Atlas booster’s guidance system was needed, along with a broken hatch bolt that required the whole hatch to be unbolted and re-bolted.

After two hours and seventeen minutes of delay, technician T. J. O'Malley pressed the launch button at 14:47 UTC, saying “the good Lord ride all the way.” CAPCOM Scott Carpenter then spoke the words that became famous: “Godspeed, John Glenn.” Because of a radio glitch, Glenn never actually heard it during launch.

The Atlas booster carried Friendship 7 into orbit without serious trouble — Glenn thus became the first American to orbit the Earth (after the Soviet flights of Gagarin and Titov). He named the capsule together with his wife and children after considering several options, including “Liberty” and “Independence” — “Friendship” won out because, in Glenn’s words, it best captured the message of flying over so many countries of the world.