Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter to be honored May 1
2015-04-29
More than a half century ago, he was the second American pioneer to orbit our blue marble in a spacecraft and helped usher in a new dawn of human spaceflight. On May 1, Johnson Space Center will celebrate the life and achievements of M. Scott Carpenter, one of the original “Mercury seven” astronauts, with a memorial service in the Teague Auditorium at 2 p.m. and tree planting in JSC’s Memorial Tree Grove immediately following after.
Carpenter was born on May 1, 1925, and died on Oct. 10, 2013.
His decorated career began with an educational background in aeronautical engineering, receiving a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado in 1949. Carpenter was then commissioned in the U.S. Navy, where he became a naval aviator and later a Navy test pilot with all of the “right stuff” to become a spacefaring voyager.
On April 9, 1959, Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. He served as backup pilot for John Glenn during preparation for America’s first manned orbital spaceflight in February 1962.
Years later, Carpenter piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles, during a second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. The spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, after four hours and 54 minutes of flight time.
After a leave of absence from NASA to work as an aquanaut in the Navy’s Man-in-the-Sea Project in SEALAB II, Carpenter returned to NASA as executive assistant to the director of the Manned Spacecraft Center (now JSC). During this time, he was active in the design of the Apollo lunar landing module and underwater crew training for spacewalks.
Carpenter returned to the Navy as director of Aquanaut Operations after his career at NASA. He retired from the Navy in 1969 to start a venture capital corporation. He worked in the areas of oceanography and energy production in the private sector. He also lectured frequently in the United States and abroad, appeared as a TV spokesman for many major corporations, authored two novels and co-authored his memoir with his daughter.
Carpenter also had the unique distinction of being the first person ever to penetrate both inner and outer space, thereby acquiring the dual title astronaut/aquanaut. But whether working within the harsh elements of water or space, he will forever be remembered as an explorer first.
Gary Jordan
NASA Johnson Space Center
Carpenter was born on May 1, 1925, and died on Oct. 10, 2013.
His decorated career began with an educational background in aeronautical engineering, receiving a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado in 1949. Carpenter was then commissioned in the U.S. Navy, where he became a naval aviator and later a Navy test pilot with all of the “right stuff” to become a spacefaring voyager.
On April 9, 1959, Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. He served as backup pilot for John Glenn during preparation for America’s first manned orbital spaceflight in February 1962.
Years later, Carpenter piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles, during a second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. The spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, after four hours and 54 minutes of flight time.
After a leave of absence from NASA to work as an aquanaut in the Navy’s Man-in-the-Sea Project in SEALAB II, Carpenter returned to NASA as executive assistant to the director of the Manned Spacecraft Center (now JSC). During this time, he was active in the design of the Apollo lunar landing module and underwater crew training for spacewalks.
Carpenter returned to the Navy as director of Aquanaut Operations after his career at NASA. He retired from the Navy in 1969 to start a venture capital corporation. He worked in the areas of oceanography and energy production in the private sector. He also lectured frequently in the United States and abroad, appeared as a TV spokesman for many major corporations, authored two novels and co-authored his memoir with his daughter.
Carpenter also had the unique distinction of being the first person ever to penetrate both inner and outer space, thereby acquiring the dual title astronaut/aquanaut. But whether working within the harsh elements of water or space, he will forever be remembered as an explorer first.
Gary Jordan
NASA Johnson Space Center
Astronaut Carpenter stands in front of the Mercury Control Center at Cape Canaveral. Carpenter was the pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission aboard Aurora 7, which launched May 24, 1962. Image credit: NASA
Carpenter in Hanger S crew quarters during a suiting exercise ahead of his Mercury-Atlas 7 flight. Image credit: NASA
M. Scott Carpenter will be honored at JSC on May 1. Image credit: NASA