. He was a 35 year-old test pilot for the Air Force who had flown 100 combat missions in the Korean War. His capsule was the "Liberty Bell 7." His suborbital flight on July 21, 1961, lasted for 15 minutes and 37 seconds. This flight was successful, except that the spacecraft sank into the ocean shortly after splashdown.
             The next American launched into space was John H. Glenn, Jr. He manned the "Friendship 7," which was launched on February 20, 1962. He was the first American to orbit the Earth. His total flight time was 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds. He spent three hours of that in orbit around the Earth.
             ...