NASA Television to Air Programs Today Celebrating Space Pioneer John Glenn +VIDEO

WASHINGTON - December 17, 2016: Dec. 16, 2016: NASA Television will air two programs live today from Ohio celebrating the life of U.S. Marine, NASA astronaut and Ohio senator John Glenn.

Visitors were able to pay their respects to Glenn yesterday afternoon at the Ohio Statehouse rotunda, where he lays in repose under the Ohio State seal, guarded for 24 hours by the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard.

Saturday, Ohio State University in Columbus is hosting John Glenn: Celebrating a Life of Service at 2 p.m., during which NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will pay tribute to Glenn's early contributions to human spaceflight and enduring legacy. Both programs will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

One of NASA's original seven Mercury astronauts, Glenn, who died Dec. 8, also served 24 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and four terms as a U.S. senator from Ohio. His flight on Friendship 7 on Feb. 20, 1962, showed the world that America was a serious contender in the space race with the Soviet Union. It also made Glenn an instant hero.

For more information about Glenn's life and legacy, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/profile-of-john-glenn

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv