Astronaut John Glenn and Friendship 7. American astronaut John Glenn entering the Friendship 7 spacecraft prior to the launch of the Mercury 6 mission on 20 February 1962. This was the first American mission to put a human in Earth orbit, the Soviets had previously placed a cosmonaut in orbit on 12 April 1961. The mission was successful and Glenn completed three orbits in 4 hours and 55 minutes.