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Glenn resigned from NASA six weeks after the assassination of John F. Kennedy to run for office in his home state of Ohio.

In 1965 he retired as a Colonel from the Marine Corps and entered the business world as an executive for Royal Crown Cola.

He re-entered politics later on.

Some accounts of Glenn's years at NASA suggest that Glenn was prevented from flying in Gemini or Apollo missions, either by President Kennedy, or by NASA management, on the grounds that the subsequent loss of a national hero of such stature would seriously harm or even end the manned space program.

Yet Glenn resigned from the NASA Astronaut Corps on January 30, 1964, well before even the first Gemini crew was assigned.