John Glenn
John Glenn in 1962 was the first American and the third person to orbit the earth. He circled the earth in Friendship 7 three times in almost five hours.
At the age of 77, he returned to space on the space shuttle Discovery, when he participated in scientific experiments from October 29 to November 7, 1998. He was at that time the oldest person to venture into space. Children could learn more at: John Glenn.