During World War II, Glenn flew 59 combat missions, and in the Korean Conflict, he flew nearly 90. In the spring of 1959, the seven members of that team were announced: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Duke Slayton. Prompted by his interest in the aging process, Glenn approached NASA to approve a second space flight for him. For his return to space 36 years after orbiting the earth, Glenn was awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal. John Glenn Jr. died on December 8, 2016 at 95.