Former US astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, has died at 95. The ex-Marine and Senator had been in hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for more than a week. <br/><br/>Glenn is best known for circling the earth in 1962 aboard the Friendship 7 space capsule. His achievement marked the moment the US caught up with the Soviet Union in manned space exploration. <br/><br/>After returning to Earth, Glenn was elected in 1974 as a Democrat to the US Senate, where he served for 24 years.