SCOTT CARPENTER'S CONTROVERSIAL SPACE FLIGHT
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) On May 24, 1962, Scott Carpenter* splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after three successful orbits and in doing so became the second American to orbit the earth.
During the five hour flight, Carpenter also was the first astronaut to eat solid food in space. He was given a multitude of experiments to conduct as well as a "continual transfer of biomedical data."
Although described as NASA's "best prepared astronaut," at the end of the flight Carpenter splashed down 250 miles away from his scheduled landing point.
The astronaut then had to wait 3 hours for Navy personnel to get in a position to retrieve him. He was found bobbing up and down in his life raft beside his space capsule. Flight Director Chris Kraft** blamed Carpenter for the mission's problems and, according to Amy Shira Teitel, was "determined he would never fly again."
Scott Carpenter's May 24 1962 space flight was to be his first and last.
*Malcolm Scott Carpenter (1925-2013), one of the original 7 Mercury astronauts, was born in Boulder, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado in 1962. MSC became a navy pilot & served in the Korean War. MSC died on Oct 10, 2013, 50 years to the day after JFK presented the Collier Trophy to the Mercury 7 at the White House.
**Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. was born in 1924 in Hampton, Virginia & graduated from Virginia Tech University in 1944. CCK became NASA's 1st flight director & served in that capacity during all 6 manned Mercury flights.
SOURCES
"Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter and the Controversy Surrounding Aurora 7", by Amy Shira Teitel, October 13, 2013, www.popsci.com/
"Scott Carpenter, Mercury astronaut, dead at 88," by William Harwood, www.cbsnews.com
Malcolm Scott Carpenter
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) On May 24, 1962, Scott Carpenter* splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after three successful orbits and in doing so became the second American to orbit the earth.
During the five hour flight, Carpenter also was the first astronaut to eat solid food in space. He was given a multitude of experiments to conduct as well as a "continual transfer of biomedical data."
Although described as NASA's "best prepared astronaut," at the end of the flight Carpenter splashed down 250 miles away from his scheduled landing point.
The astronaut then had to wait 3 hours for Navy personnel to get in a position to retrieve him. He was found bobbing up and down in his life raft beside his space capsule. Flight Director Chris Kraft** blamed Carpenter for the mission's problems and, according to Amy Shira Teitel, was "determined he would never fly again."
Scott Carpenter's May 24 1962 space flight was to be his first and last.
*Malcolm Scott Carpenter (1925-2013), one of the original 7 Mercury astronauts, was born in Boulder, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado in 1962. MSC became a navy pilot & served in the Korean War. MSC died on Oct 10, 2013, 50 years to the day after JFK presented the Collier Trophy to the Mercury 7 at the White House.
**Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. was born in 1924 in Hampton, Virginia & graduated from Virginia Tech University in 1944. CCK became NASA's 1st flight director & served in that capacity during all 6 manned Mercury flights.
SOURCES
"Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter and the Controversy Surrounding Aurora 7", by Amy Shira Teitel, October 13, 2013, www.popsci.com/
"Scott Carpenter, Mercury astronaut, dead at 88," by William Harwood, www.cbsnews.com
Malcolm Scott Carpenter
NASA Photo (1964)
