Much has changed in society, technology and the world in the 36 years between John Glenn's historic orbit in 1962. Here, to put the years in perspective, are "then and now" comparisons of Glenn, his space endeavors and American society.

The Man
Occupation: Full-time NASA astronaut	Occupation: U.S. senator from Ohio
Age at flight: 40	Age at flight: 77
Personal status: Wife Annie, two children	Personal status: Wife Annie (married 55 years), two children, two grandchildren
Weight: Around 170	Weight: Glenn will not disclose his weight, but his office says it is in the ballpark of what he weighed in 1962.
Exercise: Running	Exercise: Speedwalking
Hair color: Red	Hair color: White
The Mission
Purpose: To send and observe first American in Earth's orbit, as part of Cold War space race with Soviet Union	Purpose: To conduct a range of scientific experiments, including those to study effects of space flight on an older person
Name of craft: Friendship 7 (solo)	Name of craft: Space shuttle Discovery (6 other astronauts)
Flight duration: 4 hours, 55 minutes on February 20, 1962	Flight duration: Approx. 8 days, 20 hours
Orbits: 3	Orbits: Approx. 144
Highest altitude above Earth, in miles: 162.2	Highest altitude above Earth, in miles: 325
Distance flown, in miles: 75,679	Distance flown, in miles: Approx. 3.6 million
Onboard computers: None	Onboard computers: 5
Windows 1	Windows 10
The Times
U.S. president: John Kennedy	U.S. president: Bill Clinton
Cutting-edge computer: The PDP-4 by Digital, cost: $65,000 data path: 18-bit; processor speed: 1 MHz	Cutting-edge computer: The latest 32-bit personal computers run at 400 MHz at a purchase price of under $2,500.
Satellites: AT&T launches Telstar I, the first communications satellite	Satellites: There are more than 260 commercial communications satellites in orbit, not counting those belonging to China and Russia, for which figures are not available.
World population: 3,136,082,730	World population: 5,925,729,000
Oscar for best movie: "Lawrence of Arabia"	Oscar for best movie: "Titanic"(1997)
Grammy for best record: Tony Bennett, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"	Grammy for best record: Shawn Colvin, "Sunny Came Home" (1997)
Celebrity death: Marilyn Monroe, age 36	Celebrity death: Frank Sinatra, age 82
On the nuclear front: Cuban missile crisis	On the nuclear front: India's underground bomb tests
Controversial drug: Thalidomide, a sedative later linked to birth deformities	Controversial drug: Viagra, impotence drug