Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-075-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks on the South Lawn of the White House following the successful completion of the Mercury-Atlas 6 test flight (also known as Friendship 7), during which Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr. became the fifth person in space and the first American to orbit the Earth. In his speech President Kennedy asserts American superiority in the Space Race, and congratulates Colonel Glenn and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on their efforts.