 The US public was becoming increasingly shocked and alarmed at the widening lead obtained by the USSR, so President John F. Kennedy announced on May 25 a plan to land a man on the Moon by 1970, launching the three-man Apollo program.On February 20, 1962, the US succeeded in launching the third crewed orbital spaceflight in history, with John Glenn, the first US orbital astronaut, making three orbits during his "Friendship 7" mission.By May 16, 1963, the US launched a total of six Project Mercury astronauts, logging a cumulative 34 Earth orbits, and 51 hours in space.