Aurora 7

[Music] on a Windswept Hill at Kittyhawk man sprouted wings and if a soaring Granite Spire at Kittyhawk is a memorial to the birth of the air age so too is the soaring steel Gantry around a spacecraft mounted on an atlas rocket at cap canaval the symbol of the dawn of the age of man's flight in space [Music] December 17 1903 on that eventful morning who could have for told what the conquest of the air would eventually mean and 57 1/2 years later who among the millions watching and listening around the world could foretell the implication of free man's breakthrough into space for the moment it was enough that he was going astronaut Alan B Shephard in a Mercury spacecraft called Freedom 7 May 5 1961 oral Wright saw the Earth from a height of 100 ft Alan Shepard saw it from 100 miles and just as the first flights at Kittyhawk proved that man could fly in the air so did the first Redstone powered flights in Mercury spacecraft prove that man could travel through space short ballistic flights downrange by Shephard and by astronaut Virgil Grom were proof but they were also only preludes preludes to orbital flights around the [Music] earth February 20 1962 Astronaut John Glenn and a Mercury spacecraft called friendship 7 the mission orbit prove the spacecraft could sustain life in orbital flight prove that man could operate effectively in space [Music] The Voyage of friendship 7 proved that man could operate as a pilot in space but friendship 72 was only a Prelude only the end of the beginning now it was time to put man to work in space astronaut Scott Carpenter would take the next step in a Mercury spacecraft he named Aurora 7 Carpenter would make new scientific observations from space for the benefit of all mankind he would use Aurora 7 as a platform for science for Star observations measurements of star brightness in space using a specially designed photometer measurements of the relative brightness of zodiacal light and other dim night phenomena using a special instrument with crossed Polaroid filters this this instrument also permits direct viewing of the sun's disc and measurements of the polarization of the sun's Corona measurements of light attenuation through the atmosphere and more than a dozen other astronomical and physiological experiments experiments that cannot be performed on Earth Carpenter would also make observations and photographs of the booster falling away to investigate the visual limitations associated with a receding object in space color perception by releasing a multicolored balloon then observing and photographing the balloon to determine its color reflectivity and aerodynamic Behavior both of which have a bearing on visual aspects of future Rendevous missions in space photographs of the Earth's Horizon to be taken through special filters for scientific study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the US Naval research laboratory photographs of cloud masses over the Earth or study by weather bureau scientists [Music] a special experiment carried on board the Aurora 7 would investigate the behavior of fluids under zero g [Music] conditions throughout the flight Carpenter was scheduled to conduct spacecraft Maneuvers using the manual control system [Music] just as man went to work in the air after Kittyhawk so too now man is going to work in space [Music] May 24 1962 4:35 a.m. astronaut Carpenter leaves the Earth by [Music] elevator a top the huge powerful Atlas booster Aurora 7 waits for its pilot preparations are almost complet complete the countdown is progressing smoothly [Music] the astronaut is [Music] ready down range and around the world the recovery forces are on station 20 ships 110 aircraft 13,000 Army Navy Air Force and Marine Corp Personnel all standing by for a lone American in a sober space suit as a hazy sun comes up out of the Atlantic Scott Carpenter is sealed inside the spacecraft [Music] only a few witnessed the pioneering flights at Kittyhawk but from the beaches near Cape canaro Across America and throughout the nations of the earth Millions watched and listened to the drama un launch complex 14 [Music] your attention please we are holding at tus 11 minutes uh flight director is this a weather hold affirmative [Music] all my Mark we will pick up the count at tus 11 minutes Mark tus 11 minutes and counting in a few minutes the great Atlas booster with its 360,000 lb of thrust will lift the spacecraft up and out of the Earth's atmosphere and guided by a miracle of Space Age Electronics place it in the sky leading to orbital flight Precision radar will note every motion of the atlas at every moment during the powered portion of the flight the radar information will flow instantaneously into high-speed computers which have been pre-programmed with the correct trajectory data the computer compares the actual data from the ascending Atlas with the preprogramed flight plan and instantly and automatically transmit signals which gimbal the booster engines to steer the atlas along the desired flight path tus 5 minutes Mark tus 5 minutes van County your attention please all Personnel please clear the test stand area to the road block while the actual launch is controlled from a windowless concrete block House near the launch pad the Mercury control center farther away is the nerve center from which all elements of the mission are managed mercur [Music] switch to RF and conduct UHF check with SE TM Block House camera and all Mercury station and status check missile power RF system go propulsion AMR Telemetry telemetering quality Mercury capsule pus 60 second Mercury is go yours 45 got a good final R status check pration blocks tanking go system range operation Mercury all lights are correct range ready light is on eject Mercury [Applause] emical all evacuate light on T minus 18 seconds and counting engine start [Applause] 15 - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 zero I feel the liftoff the clock has started all right clear stand by for the time Roger little bit of shaking PR moo 3 2 1 Mark Roger the backup clock has started Roger Clear Blue Sky a little rough for Max Q at 1 minute Roger you're looking good I feel the pitch program starting over rer sky is getting quite black at 130 Fuel and oxygen is steady C pressure is leveling off at 62 22 amp and the power is still good Roger there's p on time and uh Roger Roger I felt staging do you confirm confirm staging Roger GP got 6.3 the tower is way out it's gone the light is green four minutes Aurora 7 is go Fuel and oxygen steady cabin holding 25 amps power is good okay here is p deposit gr fired I am weightless and starting the fly turn around D is good look good down here Periscope is out and Roger okay turn around has stopped I'm pitching down I have the moon in the center of the window H the booster off to the right slightly Aurora 7 is in Orbit the men in the Block House have done their job and the outlas booster has done its job now it's up to Mercury control and the tracking Network the spacecraft and the astronaut 99 M High over the Atlantic traveling at more than 17,000 mph Scott Carpenter goes to work one of his first jobs was observing and photographing the burned out Atlas as it trailed him into orbit at this time he discovered that by means of his attitude control system he could successfully track and Orient his spacecraft in relation to the trailing booster this information will be useful in planning future orbital Rendevous missions approaching Africa radio contact is made with the Mercury tracking station at Koo Nigeria at 2943 the first time I was able to get Horizon pictures with MIT film set at f8 and 125 a picture to the South into the sun directly down my flight path is number two as the Aurora 7 sped across Africa into the sunset the astronaut began his continuing study of the space environment the haze layer noted on the prior flight of Freedom 7 was now measured for LightWave frequency breadth and width star observations were made for occlusion and intensity Venus was clearly observed low on the horizon experiments were conducted on drifting flight as well as the effects of spacecraft control by body movement and orientation with the darkened Earth body movement and proprioceptive tests were conducted during prolonged weightlessness observations were periodically made of the liquid Behavior Experiment these observations confirmed suspected surface tension effects under the weightless condition and always the endless task of communication with the Mercury tracking station mus and WRA Australia hello cap loud and clear me Canton island in the dark Pacific out of the night and into a sunrise spectacular as only sunrises seen from space can be and at Sunrise the first of the space particles I have some more of the white particles in view below the capsule they look exactly like snowflakes to me it was later on the third orbit that Scott Carpenter identified the mysterious particles as Frost dislodged from the exterior of the spacecraft then contact with the tracking station at pimus Mexico will you pass on uh this message for me Gordo to all the troops at uh W ola okay it takes Aurora 7 just 8 minutes to cross America from the Pacific to the Atlantic and over the Homeland repeat the endless checks on blood pressure suit temperature control mode fuel consumption time and now approaching Bermuda the balloon [Music] experiment that is Roger the inflate the balloon is partially inflated I would say we have about a one cycle per minute mus it's both in pitch and yarn after release potentiometer measurements and observations against the Blackness of space of the four colors only orange and silver seemed clearly visible then visibility studies and studies of depth perception in space experiments with food consumption and handling man proving he can work in space Scott Carpenter working through the first and second orbits swinging in a long Arc across Africa out over the Indian Ocean where a Mercury tracking ship is [Music] stationed go ahead Indian cical monitor says that we are reading your respiration I believe this is almost the first time it's come across uh that's uh very good I guarantee I'm [Music] [Applause] breathing uh star stars are occluded as they pass through this Haze layer they have a good day set of stars to watch going through at this time I'll try and get some photometer [Applause] [Music] readings understand you go for orbit Roger I am go for orbit 3 on the third orbit Aurora 7 approaches the California coast and the critical retrofire maneuver but now the fuel supply is is very short gyos are off have to use attitude byass man and man override 4 3 2 1 zero okay fire one fire two and fire three I had to punch off Aurora 7 faces one more obstacle as it speeds across the United States as the spacecraft encounters the atmosphere its speed and energy are translated into heat through friction 3,600 de temperatures 3 ft from the astronaut's back and a blade of heat shield dissipates the heat but the enormous temperatures create a layer of ionized air around the spacecraft which blocks Communications [Music] [Applause] we you yes but I can't get anything out of it in Mercury control every second seems an hour as the communications blackout begins but Scott Carpenter continued to record his observations on a tape recorder in the spacecraft I hope we have enough f i get the orange glow at this time fuel still [Applause] read4 6.5 [Applause] [Music] G aora 7 [Music] keep slow has disappeared now we off gcap theadi a 7 a 7 Cape c a 7 a 7 Cape capy far down range a a trajectory data flowing through the high-speed computers at The Goddard space flight Center provide a landing Point prediction Aurora 7 will land some 250 Mi farther down range than anticipated recovery forces order flank speed toward the predicted landing area scrambled all search and rescue aircraft along alert par rescue personnel and all medical and emergency [Music] teams aora 7 Aurora 7 cap C Aurora 7 Aurora 7 keep C for the main sh at 10 and I st the the main is out and Reed and it looks good to me Does anybody read Aurora 7 [Applause] [Applause] over Roger understand I'm reading in the recovery room at K canaval the predicted Landing point is chartered checked and rechecked predicted time to recovery 1 hour the long wait [Music] begins planes of the task force Converge on the landing area [Music] Aurora 7 Aurora 7 cap Cap [Music] Com Aurora 7 Aurora 7 cap cap Aurora 7 Aurora 7 cap cap [Music] Tower then contact with the Aurora 7 a p2v aircraft receives a Sarah Beacon signal from the spacecraft follow the beacon to Aurora 7 [Music] [Music] go ahead St through an reports they see life bre with Carpenter inside alongside the [Music] cap life wraps and a special flotation collar for the spacecraft are dropped after a rescue team parachutes down to Aid the astronaut long range jet helicopters take off from the aircraft carrier Intrepid [Music] l [Music] the flight of Aurora 7 has ended but the scientific evaluation has only begun after a short rest and a post-flight physical examination aboard the Intrepid astronaut Carpenter is flown to gr Turk Island for a thorough [Music] debriefing meanwhile the Destroyer Pierce fishes Aurora 7 from the sea for return to Cape Cano where it too will be subjected to a complete post-flight examination debriefing at Turk requires 2 days during which Aurora 7's pilot records his observations and suggestions and answers hundreds of questions from Mercury scientists and Engineers this information will be important in planning increasingly complex flights for the future experience from each flight is pyramided building America's Road into space scientifically step by step all the Sciences from medicine to Med meteorology from astronomy to astrophysics were the beneficiaries of the flight of Aurora 7 man has gone to work in space for the advancement of knowledge and the cause of Freedom Aurora 7 was a Triumph of Science and human courage and the nation is grateful [Applause] a