In the ’60s, the space race was on everyone’s mind since Russia completed the first successful launch of a human (Yuri Gagarin) into space in 1961. Yuri completed one orbit around the earth before returning.
With tensions high, the United States felt we had to outdo the Soviets, as they had previously only achieved suborbital launches with Alan Shepard and Virgil “Gus” Grissom aboard the ‘Freedom 7’ rocket.
After numerous delays, the U.S. was poised to launch John Glenn into what would become its first orbital launch in the ‘Friendship 7’, a Mercury-7 rocket. At 2:47pm on February 21st, Glenn became the first American citizen to reach orbit in space.
After completing three orbits (two more than Russia had previously achieved), it was determined that the best course of action would be to return home. Although they had enough fuel on board for 100 orbits, some miscalculations had increased the overall risk.
After nearly 5 hours in space, John Glenn and the Friendship 7 shuttle re-entered orbit and made a splash landing in the North Atlantic Ocean and retrieved by the USS Noa.
The USSR continued to push further into space, as did the USA, with the moon landing in 1969 and countless other manned and unmanned voyages. The common goal was observing and discovering the farthest reaches of our known universe.
Space exploration launches are prone to all sorts of issues. Weather, miscalculations in trajectories, and equipment issues can all throw a wrench in even the most ambitious and well-thought-out launch.
Your own life is kind of like a space launch – at the mercy of whatever randomness comes your way. This can dramatically affect your finances.
Will you be able to get that house in a couple of years? Oh, nope, the car stopped working.
Thinking of sending Junior to college? Nah, a storm blew in, and now the house needs a new roof.
The good news is that you can comfortably explore the world without having to worry about life’s kinks bringing your plans to a dead halt. As financial advisors, we are here to help you do just that, no matter what you want to explore. Give us a call at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or go online to book a chat to talk about your future today!
Regards,
Nikki Earley, CFP®
