February is the shortest month!

February is the shortest month because it has only 28 days (usually!). One in every four years is a Leap Year! This means that the year has one more day than the 365 days that a common year has. The extra day is February 29.

And, it’s happening this year!

February 20 marks the 50th anniversary of the First American to orbit the Earth. On February 20, 1962, astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., became the first American to orbit the Earth as part of Project Mercury. In the space capsule “Friendship 7,” John Glenn orbited the Earth three times. He traveled 81,000 miles in 4 hours and 55 minutes! In 1998, Glenn made history yet again. At the age of 77, he went on another NASA mission and became the oldest person ever to fly in space