Article: Glenn's first trip into space was anything but a sure thing.(Originated from Knight Ridder Newspapers)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. _ In the safety of Mercury mission control, flight director Chris Kraft stared at the abort switch so much he swears it was almost talking back to him.

Miles away, John Glenn, then 40, sat calmly on a still unproven rocket ready to go. His pulse was steady. In the shadows of the rocket, though, a nervous Tom O'Malley sat in the middle of the windowless launch control room, invoked the luck of Irish leprechauns and radioed to Glenn: ``May the Good Lord ride all the way.''

Then, astronaut Scott Carpenter sent Friendship 7 one last message from Earth, a phrase that ``just sprung up'' in his mind. He wished: ``Godspeed John ...

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