John Glenn conducted the first manned space orbit of the earth on February 20, 1962. This is the transcription of his in-flight communication with Mission Control in Florida. During re-entry Glenn was forced to switch to manual control after the autopilot failed. Additionally, there were concerns his heat shield had come loose — leading the recommendation to leave his retropackage in place .
Transcript of John Glenn’s Official Communication with the Command Center , 02/28/1962