John Glenn. Wikipedia photo.

Mercury Astronaut John Glenn died on December 8, 2016, at the age of 95.  He was the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth aboard the Mercury 6 spacecraft, Friendship 7, on February 20, 1962.

The American orbital mission proved an opportunity for shortwave listeners to eavesdrop of the communications with the space mission.  This news flash from the May, 1962, issue of Popular Electronics confirms that many American SWL’s were able to tune into the communications to the space capsule, although at press time, it did not appear that there were any confirmed reception reports of the space-to-Earth downlink.

Voice communication from Earth was sent on HF frequencies, with 15.016 MHz being the most important in the Western Hemisphere. On that frequency, SWL’s were able to hear ground stations in Guaymas, Mexico, Corpus Christi, Texas, and others. It was believed that Glenn was transmitting on or near that frequency, although this had not been confirmed at press time. In the Eastern Hemisphere, ground network stations were heard on 7.575 and 10.61 MHz, with ships in the recovery operation above the 15.016 frequency.

The magazine noted that SWL’s probably enjoyed the mission more than TV viewers.

Godspeed, John Glenn.