John Glenn, 50 years ago today, taking his ease on the deck of USS Noa, which plucked him from the Atlantic after he rode a rocket into space and coasted through a long lovely arc before plunging through fire back into the Earth's atmosphere and smashing into the ocean.
That is all. Oh: And the shoes.
Photo courtesy NASA.
NB: See Alexis Madrigal's thoughtful, pitch-perfect reconstruction of what Glenn looked at from space.
Also: Science comedian Brian Malow's quick vid on Glenn, Sally Ride, and other high-flying pioneers.
