Country remembers sacrifice and service of legend

Aeronautics and cultural leaders on Thursday hailed the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth as a pioneer who conquered space when science knew much less about its effects on the body, and as a military hero and allaround family man.

As word spread about the death of former astronaut and senator John Glenn at the age of 95, those who knew and admired him had only glowing words to share about the former lawmaker from Ohio.

Ohio State University President Michael Drake remembered Glenn, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1975 to 1999, as “Ohio’s consummate public servant and a true American hero.”

Glenn was an adjunct professor until recently at the school’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

“He was an authentic hero whose courage, integrity, sacrifice and achievements inspired people,” Drake said in a statement. “He leaves an undiminished legacy as one of the great people of our time.”

Before Glenn, a Democrat, was a lawmaker, he was an astronaut, and the world of science remembered him for his contributions there.

“Godspeed, John Glenn,” the National Aeronautics and Space Administration tweeted. “Ad Astra,” the agency continued, offering the Latin phrase that means “to the stars.”

“There aren’t many heroes left,” astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson lamented in a tweet.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson said via Twitter, “This is a tremendous loss for our nation and for the world.”

Glenn served in the U.S. Marine Corps, completing training in 1943 and serving as a fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War. “The Corps lost a legend today,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “Semper Fi,” the Corps added, the phrase short for “semper fidelis,” the motto of the Marines, which means “always faithful.”

“This is a tremendous loss for our nation and for the world.” Astronaut Peggy Whitson via Twitter