John Glenn during the fiery re-entry<\/p>\n
NASA\/Andy Saunders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
ON 20 February 1962, NASA astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth, but there were signs of trouble. As Glenn\u2019s Friendship 7 spacecraft returned from its historic flight, a warning light indicated its heat shield had unlatched, risking complete incineration. This image (above) captures Glenn at the moment he reenters Earth\u2019s atmosphere, pieces of the burning spacecraft casting a fiery orange glow on his face.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Glenn splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean minutes later. A faulty switch in the heat shield circuit was to blame for the alarm.<\/p>\n
The image is featured in a new book, Gemini and Mercury Remastered<\/i>, which celebrates these early NASA missions through masterfully restored photographs and film stills.<\/p>\n Another significant moment came earlier in the flight, when Glenn used a camera he had purchased from a shop near the launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to snap the first photograph taken by a human in space (pictured above). Later photos by astronauts showed Earth in unprecedented ways, and NASA realised the scientific and public value of such space photography.<\/p>\n Gemini and Mercury Remastered<\/i> by Andy Saunders, who restored the NASA images himself, is out in the UK from 28 August.<\/p>\n Gemini and Mercury photos, restored<\/b> \n ![\"John](\"https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/22163626\/SEI_262715193.jpg\")
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See more remastered images from these historic space missions below.<\/p>\n