Around The World

[Applause] [Applause] he oh [Music] hello I'm Lyn bandant welcome once again to our series about American Air and Space efforts during a quarter of a century during this third episode we cover 1962 and part of 1963 in those years NASA is working to prepare for man flights to the Moon to put 1962 into historical perspective it is the year in which the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson helps spark the environmental movement and 1962 is the Year John joh Glenn makes the first US space flight around the world on February [Music] [Applause] [Music] 20th friendship 7 with astronaut Glenn aboard weights at top the 93 ft tall Atlas launch vehicle the countdown reaches the final seconds 4 3 3 2 1 zero Roger the clock is operating we're underway be loud and clear Roger we're programming and roll [Applause] [Music] okay stand by for 20 seconds Roger two one Mark Roger backup clock is [Music] started Roger loud and clear fight B drip 69 Roger check okay a 7 On Your Mark I like you a little bit that little cont went by the window or something there rogering and clear fight back the pitch 25 standby for Roger P Tower went right then had the tower inight way out see the tower go jison Tower is green F pass looks good steering is good rer understand everything looks good he's starting to build again a little bit CH 7 fuel 103 101 oxygen 78 100 H 25 C pressure holding at 58 Roger 20 seconds too Roger indicating 6 [Music] G still looks good [Music] rer SEO the great fired okay Roger z g and I feel fine capsule is turning around oh that view is tremendous R has started Roger capsu turning around and I could see the booster during turnaround just a couple of hundred yards behind me it was beautiful the Roger 7 you have a show at least seven orits [Music] astronaut Glenn is in orbital flight 100 miles in space his voice reports are accurate coherent and prompt the space pilot has no problems reaching for controls chewing and swallowing of food are easy Glenn experiences no vertigo or nausea even as day turns into night 17 times faster than normal on the night side the pilot reports The Horizon is always [Music] visible at the end of the first orbit a malfunction in the automatic control jets occurs the problem continues throughout the rest of the flight the problem is an opportunity to prove man can take full control of the spacecraft on the third orbit after manually maneuvering the spacecraft the Retro Rockets fire when the craft is just off the coast of [Music] California there are heat shield problems too we are recommending that the Retro package not I say again not be jettison this means that you will have to override the 05g switch which is expected to occur at 04 43 53 this is approximately 4 and 1/2 minutes from now this also means that you will have to retract the scope manually do you understand friendship 7 arcs down into the Earth's atmosphere as it decelerates the effect of ionization around the spacecraft temporarily blocks Communications the heat shield is a about 3600 [Applause] de retro pack upon reaching one to 1 and A2 G do you understand over s Escape transmitting blind keep talking now friendship 7 this Escape over friendship 7 this Escape how you read uh 7 this is Cape transmitting blind your IP is within one mile of the uprange Destroyer the spacecraft vibrates excessively the drog parachute deploys earlier than planned stabilizing the [Music] craft 9 minutes before landing the recovery forces begin searching the landing area [Music] the Destroyer USS Noah has the spacecraft in sight after 4 hours and 56 minutes astronaut Glenn in the Mercury capsule completes the first United States Mann orbital space flight 18 minutes later the USS Noah recovers the spacecraft from the sea postflight examination shows the astronaut is in excellent [Music] help in the meantime NASA moves its manspace Craft Center from Langley Station Virginia to Clear Lake near Houston Texas until the new $60 million manned spacecraft Center is constructed NASA puts temporary off offices of key people in several buildings in 1962 NASA is preparing for later flights to the moon the Twan gimin spacecraft is being developed for Earth orbital flight tests flown to learn more about space flight before the flight to the Moon [Applause] [Music] project Jiminy calls for buildup of mission length and complexity by early January a production mockup of a two-man spacecraft to bridge the gap between the Mercury and Apollo programs is being built at McDonald aircraft Corporation [Music] geminy is an advanced version of the Mercury space cramp the shape heat protection and basic systems Hardware are [Music] [Applause] [Music] kept in February 1962 wooden mockups of the Apollo lunar Mission spacecraft are on hand and other tests are underway workers test sample materials for Apollo at high [Music] temperatures scientists try a blat heat shield materials of resin micro balloons and nylon temperatures are from 2600 de F on the side facing the quartz lamp heat source to 420° on the other [Music] side construction of wooden Command Module mockups begins early in February scientists make electronic and computer studies mockups of cabin interior Arrangements Aid in the design of Apollo [Music] modules wind tunnel testing is a key factor in early development of the Apollo spacecraft workers test a Command Module and launch escape tower test model and a 20-in wind tunnel [Music] airf flow goes to Mach 3.05 meanwhile astronauts train with the re-entry simulator trainer at Langley Station [Music] Virginia returning from a moon mission the guidance system can guide the spacecraft from re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere to either the prime or alternate Landing [Music] Point 1962 is a good year for NASA in addition to Glenn's orbital flight and progress on the Apollo program two more Mercury orbital flights are good astronut not Carpenter flies three [Music] orbits and Sheran does six three left left is started feels real nice for this FL yeah I got the pins on my office wall I'll 10 off the 20 seconds okay for [Applause] tick TI I have SEO CS up and then locks down and it's very pleasant going to fly by wire low going to fly by wire your answering very [Applause] nicely roll aners nicely she's turning around very nicely the powerful satran rocket completes its first two test flights as the Apollo program rolls on and NASA launches the first active communication satellite tstar [Laughter] one workers put NASA's relay communication satellite in orbit another highlight of 19 62 is the first launch of an International satellite it's Britain's aerial one which NASA places in orbit that satellite takes measurements of the ionosphere an exploration of the planets begins to produce results on December 14 1962 when Mariner 2 becomes the first probe to fly by another planet Mariner flies within 34,400 km of Venus scans its surface and takes temperature NASA puts two more tyros weather satellites in Earth orbit and use of weather satellites is nearly routine with the weather bureau using satellite data to help predict [Music] weather NASA adds more astronauts to its NASA roster on September 17 in Houston officials present nine new astronauts to the public NASA selects them after more than 6 months of evaluation from 200 volunteers both military and civilian the new astronaut trainees are to start training with emphasis on Space navigation computer Theory and aerodynamic guidance and control 1962 is the year the NASA technology utilization program begins the program is to transfer Aerospace technology developments to the US economy miniature components for the Mercury capsule are examples of some of the developments with potential for other uses in industry and at home this is a Mercury capsule retr fire relay it contains 50 components in a case about 3/4 of an inch by 1 in by 1 and A2 in preparations continue in the last half of 1962 for the first tman Jiminy flight which is to ultimately occur in March 1965 in preparation for Jiminy NASA develops more space [Music] technology a ginese space suit can be worn as long as 14 days it is being tested for comfort and Mobility boots gloves helmet when attached to the suit provide decompression protection during critical times of flight the Apollo suit is so far the most difficult to [Music] develop scientists test freeze dry dehydrated foods and concentrated bite-sized snacks packaged in edible Coatings for space travel [Music] use water reconstitutes dehydrated food to its original texture freeze-dried foods include fruits meats and fish which can be stored indefinitely without [Music] spoiling scientists study how well microorganisms live in a space [Music] environment these studies of microorganisms are important before artificial environments for Poli Crews on extended missions are created after 1962 successes even more NASA progress follows in 1963 to put 1963 in perspective that is the year that the president's science advisory committee cautions US citizens on the use of pesticides and on July 14th 1963 physicist say an elementary particle of matter is found in 1963 NASA successfully launches six satellites and the last Mann Mercury Earth orbital [Laughter] mission NASA places two more weather satellites Tyro 7 and 8 in orbit they send almost A4 million photos of weather information to Earth and in 1963 NASA inserts the sycom 2 communication satellite into an orbit 22,300 Mi above the equator of the Earth at that altitude satellites orbit the world at a speed which synchronizes with the rotation of the planet's surface so the satellite is stationary over one location on Earth a communication satellite in a geosynchronous orbit is in a sense a broadcasting Tower more than 22,000 mil High which accounts for its great Communications range scientists launched three scientific satellites one of which is explore 18 its long elliptical orbit allows radiation measurements in space almost to the Moon in preparation for man lunar flights [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] in May 1963 astronaut Gordon Cooper makes a 22 orbit flight around [Music] Earth the spacecraft is Faith 7 [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the mission is normal until the second day in the 19th orbit the spacecraft 500s of a g light glows erroneously signaling the start of re-entry later scientists find the automatic stabilization and control system is not working Cooper has to aim his spacecraft fire retro rockets and control re-entry manually he fires retro rockets at the precise moment [Applause] Faith 7 splashes down within 4 and 4/10 miles of the carrier [Music] curar NASA verifies man can operate efficiently during 1 and a half days of weightlessness with the flight of Faith 7 the Mercury program ends as a resounding success in the meantime work continues in preparation for Twan Jiminy flights when tunnel tests are done at the Langley Research Center with the Jiminy shape scientists evaluate a 150c scale model in the Hypersonic tunnel at Mock number 6.8 and 9.6 objective to see how stable gimy will be during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere workers do stability tests in the 20ft free spinning tunnel with a small gmany spacecraft model Engineers study motions to see how well the drog perish shoot will stabilize the falling capsule before the main choot opens work on Project Apollo continues as well scientists test drop a one4 scale model of the Command Module in calm water to get impact acceleration data [Music] workers make other drop tests of the model lunar lander on powdered pmus to simulate a lunard dust [Music] surface tests include various flight paths and contact velocity of 15 ft per [Music] second while scientists and Engineers develop Apollo spacecraft astronauts prepare for lunar flights at at the man spacecraft Center scientists develop a computer program to simulate Apollo spacecraft control the computer displays simulated spacecraft motions on the Pilot's instruments panel using hand controls the pilot responds to slow the module's approach to the lunar [Music] surface and to hover and pick the best spot for touchdown workers study spacecraft control problems of Apollo rendevu and docking in space with computer [Music] simulation from what the pilot sees on the instrument panel there is little difference between simulated flight and real Flight Training continues as all 16 astronauts take part in a 4-day survival course at the US Caribbean Ian Air Commands tropical survival School in Panama they spend 3 days in two nights in the jungle learning what they might have to do to survive in case of an emergency tropical [Music] Landing we've reviewed some of the early progress of NASA join us next time for episode 4 for when we cover more of 1963 and 1964 when NASA receives the first close-up pictures of the Moon from a ranger spacecraft I'm Lyn bant [Music] [Music] h oh [Music] [Music] he [Music] a [Music] [Music] okay looking good Roger CL be on [Music] Columbia Houston you're go at 40 go 4 [Music]