[extropy-chat] Alan Shepard No. 1 USA

[Avatar Polymorph]

Just rereading Stephen Baxter's bittersweet 'Phase Space' (including the
very extropian - perhaps almost a rip off - 'The Gravity Mine'/'Touching
Centauri') and there is yet another John Glenn reference. As one born on the
day Alan Shepard became the second sentient in space I am tired of seeing
John Glenn being referred to in half the US texts I read, and the words
"sub-orbital" being routinely inserted as a codicil for Alan.

"In space" means "in space". Orbital and sub-orbital are irrlevant to this
particular issue, just as whether you escape from Earth's gravity well is
irrelevant. You can be "first out of the gravity well" but this is different
to "first into space". Poor Alan Shepard! John Glenn is the 2nd American
human in space - others are 3rd, 4th and so on. Well, at least Alan got to
go to the moon, which must have been a consolation at the age of 47....