How John Glenn made a bad day in the office world history
On February 20th, 1962, one man was undeniably the loneliest man in the world; technically, not in the world, but nevertheless he was on his own, sat in a tiny capsule 134 miles orbiting above the earth. From the moment the capsule hatch was sealed, until the moment he was airlifted from the North Atlantic Ocean following splashdown, he only had himself as company.
John H. Glenn Jr was no stranger to challenging situations, he was a distinguished fighter pilot and was decorated for his action in WWII, China, and Korea. In 1957, he was the first aviator to achieve a transcontinental flight across the United States and credited with taking the first continuous panoramic photograph of America. In 1959, he was selected as one of the famed Mercury Seven – the first group of astronauts selected by NASA – and in 1962, became the first American to orbit the earth – three times, a scientific and engineering mountain which had, until then, remained unconquered.
As if flying in space wasn’t complicated enough, a fault with the automatic-control system became apparent to Glenn during the first rotation around the earth, forcing him to manually control the capsule for the second and third orbits. To add to an already complicated day, an indicator light flashed in the capsule which, had it been accurate, suggested to Glenn that it was likely his tiny capsule would disintegrate prior to re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. While Glenn continued to keep his cool, colleagues in mission control were not so relaxed, they knew that the retro-pack – a small cluster of rockets – which should have been jettisoned prior to re-entry was holding in place the heatshield which was fundamental for a safe return.
The next few minutes was a controversial period in history. Mission control had to decide whether to communicate the deadly situation to Glenn, in the hope that he would remain calm. Or not tell him, given that such information immediately prior to a very public and painful death would be superfluous. Being the astute test-pilot that Glenn was, he knew he was in danger – very serious danger, but also knew that pulling over, stretching his legs, and contemplating the situation was not in the flight plan! His colleagues chose not to be entirely truthful with him and offered a few procedures to work through which were not on the check-list, confirming to Glenn how bad the situation was.
There was nothing he could do at this point; Glenn and the burning capsule was committed to re-entry. Panicking about the situation would only use what little oxygen he had left, and he could barely move given the 8 G’s of force pounding him into his seat. In true hero coolness, he methodically and diligently transmitted the information he could gather from his instruments in front of him, to mission control, while only inches from his back the retro-pack melted away sending lumps of burning debris past his window. A short while later, 4 hours and 55 minutes after lifting off, Glenn and the roasted capsule splashed into the sea and made history.
Sometimes, the day doesn’t always go as expected. No amount of planning can foresee things which could be out of your control. When shit happens, you can either panic and waste your own energy (and potentially panic others) or you can ride out the situation, making the best of what you have to hand. While there may be lots of people around you, ultimately, your own actions define you.
John Glenn, despite having the world literally thrown at him said: “February 20th, 1962 was the best day of my life.” There is no denying the skill in which he managed the circumstances he faced and how he navigated life to achieve amazing outcomes. His aptitude made him not only a great astronaut, but also a successful American politician. Such was his determination, focus and self-belief, he returned, aged 77 to space as a mission specialist onboard a Space Shuttle in 1998, and is credited in history as being not only the first American to orbit the earth, but also the oldest.
It is important to keep in mind that challenging days are often the most satisfying. To discuss how counselling can help you keep on top of your world, or for more information about the benefits of counselling in Newark on Trent, contact us through the Active Listening Therapies contact page.
