President Obama on Friday ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the late John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth.
{mosads}American flags at the White House, public buildings around the country and military and diplomatic posts around the world will fly at half-staff until sunset on the day Glenn is buried, according to a presidential proclamation.
Glenn, who died Thursday at the age of 95, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington, D.C. A date has not yet been announced for his burial.
The former astronaut and U.S. senator will lie in state in the Ohio Statehouse, and a memorial service is set to take place next week at Ohio State University.
Obama hailed Glenn in a statement Thursday as an “icon” who “lifted the hopes of a nation” with his historic 1962 spaceflight.
“John always had the right stuff, inspiring generations of scientists, engineers and astronauts who will take us to Mars and beyond — not just to visit, but to stay,” the president said.