These photos captured the defining moments of decorated astronaut John Glenn's life and career

NASA

Former senator, astronaut, and war hero John Glenn on a training flight before his second space shuttle mission.

John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth and the fifth person to go to space, died at age 95 on Thursday.

Glenn had been hospitalized for more than a week prior to his death, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Glenn achieved a number of extraordinary feats throughout his life and career, including flying 149 combat missions in World War II and the Korean War; spending a total of 218 hours in space; becoming a United States senator (D-OH); authoring the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 to fight the rise of nuclear weapons; and being awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, among many other things.

The photos below captured Glenn during some of the defining moments of his life and US history.