Object Details
Summary
This dynamic button celebrated NASA astronaut John H. Glenn Jr.'s February 20, 1962 flight, which made him the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth. The shifting images created using a lenticular lens on the button depict the capsule blasting off from Florida, followed by the Mercury spacecraft arcing into orbit over Glenn's head (shown in his Mercury helmet) while stars twinkle above. Because the American orbits finally matched earlier Soviet achievements, Glenn returned to national celebration.
Timothy Connelly donated this button, collected by his father, an avid button collector, to the National Collection in 2005.
Credit Line
Gift of Timothy Connelly
Inventory Number
A20050479000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
MEMORABILIA-Events
Materials
Steel
Plastic
Ribbon
Paint
Ink
Copper Alloy
Adhesive
Dimensions
3-D (Button): 15.2 × 6.4 × 1cm (6 × 2 1/2 × 3/8 in.)
Storage: 22.9 × 14 × 3.8cm (9 × 5 1/2 × 1 1/2 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A20050479000