John Glenn lifts off aboard Friendship 7 (video)

9:47:39 a.m. Eastern Standard Time: The mission known as Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) has lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Between 55 seconds and one minute, 16 seconds after launch, the rocket was at high q or max q, a moment of extreme stress on the booster stage that had caused previous Atlas launches to blow up before leaving Earth's atmosphere. Between two and three minutes after launch, the booster stage fell away and the escape tower was jettisoned.

Five minutes after launch, Friendship 7 was in orbit, heading east, the same direction as the Earth's rotation. The capsule, however, is going 17,500 mph, outpacing the planet below. Glenn is strapped into the sitting position, flying backward, with the broad heat shield on the capsule's bottom leading the way.
