John Glenn, the first US astronaut to successfully orbit the Earth, has died aged 95.

Glenn, who later enjoyed a long career as a US senator, was the last surviving member of the original "Right Stuff" Mercury astronauts.

The "Mercury Seven" group of military test pilots, selected in 1959 by NASA, became America's first astronauts.

Glenn became the fifth person ever in space, behind Russians Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, as well as Americans Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom.

Before gaining fame as a pilot, Glenn was a fighter pilot during World War Two and the Korean War.

Having been picked by NASA as part of the Mercury Seven, Glenn went into orbit on Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962.

Gargarin, however, was the first man to orbit Earth, while Shepard was the first American in space.

On the 50th anniversary of his historic flight, Glenn said: "It still seems so vivid to me.

"I still can sort of pseudo feel some of those same sensations I had back in those days during launch and all".

Later, Glenn enjoyed a long career in politics, serving 24 years in the Senate from Ohio.

In 1998, he returned to space aged 77 on board shuttle Discovery, becoming and remaining the oldest astronaut in space.

Then in 2012, President Obama awarded Glenn with the Medal of Freedom.

Glenn died on Thursday aged 95.