Friendship 7 carryon items   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Three of the items carried by astronaut John Glenn aboard the Friendship 7 in 1962 include: an American flag that belonged to his daughter, Lyn Glenn; a keepsake pin designed by John and Lyn Glenn; and a small stuffed mouse with a pink tail. Glenn carried a few of these pins on his mission, and then gave one to his daughter Lyn, wife Annie and mother Clara. The one shown is the one he personally kept. Glenn wrote, "I reached for the equipment under the hatch. It used a new invention, a system of nylon hooks and loops called Velcro. I opened the pouch and a toy mouse floated into my vision. It was gray felt, with pink ears and a long tail that was tied to keep it from floating out of reach. I laughed; the mouse was Al's joke [Alan Shepard], a reference to one of the comedian Bill Dana's characters, who always felt sorry for the experimental mice that had gone into space in rocket nose cones." Lyn and David Glenn, children of John and Annie Glenn, donated several items belonging to their parents in 2018. Many of the objects are from their household or are related to John Glenn's career as an astronaut and U.S. Senator. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: H101039
Subjects: Glenn, John, 1921-2016; Flags; Lapel pins; Toys;
Places: Ohio History Connection