John Glenn Signed Photograph Official color 8... Lot 7048

John Glenn Signed Photograph Official color 8 x 10 NASA lithograph of Glenn in an up-close formal pose wearing a striped bow tie and his lapel bearing a Mercury 7 pin, signed and inscribed in black ink, "28 Feb 62, My best personal regards to Cong. Jim Fulton and many thanks for all the help—John H. Glenn, Jr., Mercury Astronaut.” In fine condition, with a couple light bends and a paperclip impression to the upper section. A wonderfully early NASA litho that was signed just eight days after Glenn's historic Mercury-Atlas 6 space flight. The photo is made all the more appealing given the name of its important recipient—James G. Fulton (1903–1971), a longtime Pennsylvania Congressman and an ardent advocate for space exploration, who spent the latter half of his 25-year career trying to generate high-tech jobs related to the space program. Fulton argued in support of manned space flight and urged Congress to fund the mission to be first to the moon, stating: 'We are in a competitive race with Russia.' 'Congressman Jim' was an original member of and eventually the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology. At various times, he headed the Manned Spaceflight and NASA Oversight subcommittees, which gave him direct access to the U.S. space program, and he is uniformly credited with shaping the compromise that saved the Space Shuttle program.