John Glenn was braver than you think: February/20/1962.
I've learned that in the time-period,
1960-1962, one out of every three Atlas
rockets launched blew up.
Not a very safe record for a rocket booster intended to launch human beings into space.
John Glenn knew those statistics, and yet he gladly sat on top of that paper-thin metal shell, six-story tall, filled with over a hundred tons of highly-explosive LOX/kerosene waiting for it either to blow up [most likely near max-q] or else send him safely into orbit.
He had awesome courage.
I salute him.
We need more John Glenns, today.
Jacob