posted 04-16-2014 01:22 PM               

n February 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. Since then John Herschel Glenn Jr. has stood in the popular imagination as a quintessentially American hero.

In John Glenn: America's Astronaut, a special edition e-book featuring 45 stunning photographs as well as a video, Chaikin explores Glenn's path to greatness.

John Glenn features new details on Glenn's selection as an astronaut in 1959, newly synchronized onboard film and audio of Glenn's harrowing reentry from orbit on his 1962 Mercury mission, rarely seen images of Glenn in orbit and from the John Glenn archives at Ohio State University, as well as new, touching reminiscenes of Glenn's 1998 return to space from his Space Shuttle crewmates.

Glenn is the embodiment of the history of human spaceflight and the indefatigable American spirit, and John Glenn: America's Astronaut is his amazing story.

• Print Length: 126 pages
  
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books (April 15, 2014)
  
• Available only for Kindle