John Glenn, who was the first American to orbit the Earth and last surviving member of the American seven"Right Stuff"Mercury astronatuts, passed away on Thursday in Ohio. Glenn who was also a long-time senator died at the age of 95.

According to a report from Reuters, Glenn took his last breath at the James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University as stated by Hank Wilson, a spokesperson for John Glenn College of Public Affairs in the university. Glenn also helped established the institution.

Glenn was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 by President Barack Obama. The president stated that the nation lost the icon due to Glenn's passing.

In a statement, Obama also said that Glenn has been inspiring next generation of engineers, scientists, and astronauts who will bring people to Mars and beyond. Not just visit, but stay.

President-elect Donald Trump also expressed his condolences on his Twitter account, saying the nation lost one of the greatest airspace pioneers.While Ohio'a governor John Kasich said Glenn was Ohio's greatest hometown hero.

Before joining NASA, Glenn spent 24 years in military service. After the Pearl Harbor attack, he was later transferred to the Marine Corps and became a pilot in World War II and the Korean War.

On February 20, 1962, he made a history by becoming the third American and fifth human in space.

Glenn didn't only make the U.S orbit the Earth three times. He helped restore American pride after the domination of the Soviet Union in space exploration in the early 1960s. His photo was on the cover of TIME and LIFE magazine. After that, he was labeled as a national hero.

Even during the exploration, millions of Americans stayed tune to their radio and watched television, and gathered at New York's Grand Central Terminal to follow the mission. They heard the voice of NASA saying"Godspeed, John Glenn"during the launch of Friendship 7 capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

He returned to space again in the shuttle Discovery in 1998 when he was 77 years old, making him the oldest person to fly to space, Bloomberg stated.

He was a senate member for 24 years and ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1984.

RIP John Glenn. Your legacy lives on.

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