posted 10-10-2013 01:57 PM               

Scott Carpenter, astronaut-aquanaut, dies, was second American in orbit

Godspeed, Scott Carpenter.

The United States' fourth astronaut to fly in space and the second to orbit the Earth, Carpenter, 88, died Thursday (Oct. 10) after suffering a recent stroke.

The original Mercury 7 astronaut was being cared for at a hospice center in Denver when he passed. Carpenter was initially expected to make a full recovery from the stroke, but his condition worsened this week, sources close to his family shared.

Chosen in 1959 among NASA's first astronauts, Carpenter made his first and only spaceflight on May 24, 1962, when he became the sixth man worldwide to leave the planet.

A moment of silence can be signified by a reply with no words and only a period.

posted 10-10-2013 03:14 PM            

God Bless.

posted 10-10-2013 03:14 PM               

I took a copy of his book "For Spaceous Skies" with me. It had been out of print for a couple years and I had to buy it online from a used book seller as new copies were gone. When he saw I had it at the dinner during the meet and greet (and I seemed to be the only one who did have it), he said "That is a nice piece of literature in your collection there." It was a great icebreaker and we talked for a little bit about things related to the stories told within its pages.

I've always said that if Scott were born a few years later, that he probably would have made a great NASA mission specialist. Don't get me wrong, he was a great test pilot and the situation he was put in on Aurora 7 when the attitude indicators went screwy and with the low fuel meant that he had to gut things out instinctively to get the craft down. But he was probably the first astronaut who really tried to come to an understanding of what the space environment was like. He wanted to convey the feeling of spaceflight, he wanted to understand what was up there. Others have said he probably got more out of that one flight than other astronauts got out of multiple ones and I do indeed think that was the case.

Scott also didn't let "NASA Astronaut" be the only thing he did though. He was a driving force behind the Navy's Sealab project, trying to unlock the mysteries of what it takes to live underwater for extended periods of time. He raised a great family who have contributed great things in their own right. He also went on to be an author who could spin a great tale with his title "The Steel Albatross," written at a time when Tom Clancy made the techno-thriller a staple of American reading. I do wish that Scotty had followed up that book with another novel as I read it when it first came out and I felt myself longing for another great adventure in the written word. I understand a second book was written and I need to acquire a copy of "Deep Flight". But I imagine Scott felt he wanted to discover and experience something else rather than being tied to a word processor for hours a day.

So, Scott Carpenter has now begun another journey of discovery. At least there are others that will be along with him to help on this trip. You have Guenter Wendt helping him strap in, Al is keeping the crew focused and reading back the checklists, Deke is making sure the booster is good to go, Wally keeping it light and making sure the suit does its job, Gus and Gordo are helping to keep the skies around clear in their planes. Its a good ship, a good support crew for the one man. Three... two... one... liftoff.