"Zero G, and I Feel Fine."

As many have repeated today, "Godspeed, John Glenn."

Those were the words Scott Carpenter said to Glenn just before he lifted off in 1962 on his way to be the first American to orbit the earth. The post title is what Glenn said when his spacecraft Friendship 7 achieved orbit.

Grounded by fame, Glenn was not allowed aboard another spacecraft until 1998, when at 77 he flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery as a payload specialist and as the subject of experiments on what effects space travel might have on older people. He flew with six of the luckiest astronauts ever, because they got to go into space with John frickin' Glenn.

A combat pilot in World War II and Korea, Glenn gave early indication that although he might be a textbook straight arrow, he was also a legitimate badass. There's pretty much no other word to describe you when you go into combat with Ted Williams as your wingman.

On Dec. 8, 2016, John H. Glenn, Jr., took a flight that was not limited to LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) -- because now, neither is he.