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Author
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Topic: Seven silvery astronauts: Mercury 7 photo
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KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 10-27-2006 07:21 PM
   
Everyone remembers this photo — a LIFE magazine photo (Ralph Morse's) of the seven Project Mercury astronauts in their spacesuits. Four in front (Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Carpenter) and three in back (Shepard, Grissom, Cooper). Believe it to be a 1960-61 pic, with funny-looking boots.So, in which issue of LIFE was the photo published? I do not have that issue. Also, was there reporting in that issue on the circumstances of the shoot? All Carpenter can remember is that Gus was in Ohio on NASA business. Couldn't make the shoot (in Langley, before Shepard's flight, as far as everyone can remember). But Ralph convinced Gus to fly back in time. In the meantime, I'll try to reach Ralph but figured the gang here might know this info (or have the LIFE mag) off the tops of their heads. Thanks for any help!  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-27-2006 07:30 PM
I could have sworn that was a NASA photograph and given that NASA offers it as public domain, wouldn't that mean it is? Or did LIFE turn over certain photos to NASA? |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 10-27-2006 08:15 PM
I was surprised, too, when Carpenter immediately raised the Ralph Morse angle on the photo — except Ralph choreographed and shot the LIFE cover shots of the seven men — and of their seven wives. So it makes sense that this too would be his.I don't know the answer to the provenance question (Morse/Life or NASA). But I do know that legendary National Geographic photographer Dean Conger was seconded to NASA. His photos were NASA photos. I don't know the contractual arrangements. But it makes sense that if NatGeo/Conger was seconded to NASA, then perhaps LIFE/Morse was too for certain boilerplate, for the record, documentary photos. Just my guess. This incidentally would make a great research subject, as long as Morse and Conger are alive: Their experiences photographing Project Mercury. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 10-28-2006 08:36 AM
In Wally Schirra's book "Schirra's Space," he mentions in a photo caption on page 104 that it shows "the Mercury Seven suiting up simultaneously for the one and only time." That photo is credited to Ralph Morse. Must have been taken at the same time as the posed portrait of the Seven. |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 10-28-2006 10:36 AM
Ed, thanks for the Schirra caption. This is great, and jibes with my memory of a slew of photos taken in a locker room at what must be Langley. (Am I right to recall film of this scene on Spacecraft Films' Project Mercury set?) In the LIFE photos, the men — all seven, as I recall — are pulling their thermals on, then struggling with their suits. Amazingly, the TimePix archives dates the first of these group shots at 18 March 1959! The second slightly different shot has an early 1960 date. Can't account for the discrepancy in dates but leads me to suspect there was a January 1960 LIFE issue with this picture used inside, perhaps with LIFE technical reporter Don Schanche describing suit technology. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 10-28-2006 10:54 AM
In the 1983 book "LIFE in Space," the two photos are side by side on pages 26-27. One shows them getting into their suits, with suit tech Joe Schmitt helping them. Judging by the white boots that Slayton and Glenn wear this was taken on the same day as the posed shot, which is dated 1960 in the book.The 1959 date is obviously wrong. |
Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 678
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 10-28-2006 11:28 AM
NASA's JSC image archive gives the photo a date of Dec. 3, 1962. Have no idea if this is correct or not. |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 10-28-2006 11:36 AM
Rene Carpenter, in bed with the flu, recalled that these were prototype suits, with some sort of corrugated rope-like webbing that was sewn into the suits. She thinks even that the helmets were borrowed from the suits used for the high-altitude balloon drops (which LIFE had also covered). Deke was "furious" says Rene. And hot. Insisted on holding on to his coolant system — looks like there are at least two in the shot. All the men were hot. "It was a stunt!" recalls Rene. "We didn't know Ralph yet. But he had this idea of producing a kind of poster." She says she thinks Ralph had wanted to use it for a LIFE cover. This early shoot, incidentally, was LIFE's first significant intrusion into the astronaut's busy schedules — one they didn't understand or appreciate. Later, of course, they developed a great camaraderie and working relationship with the LIFE writers and photographers. On edit: I went back to TimePix (you have to register) to see the dates again — it says "March 1960." The other dates on related photos are kind of a mishmash, with "1959" popping up improbably time and again, when you know they have to mean 1960. Markings on the actual, physical contact sheets struck me as accurate when I was there researching images in 2002. |
robsouth
Member Posts: 769
From: West Midlands, UK
Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 10-31-2006 10:32 AM
quote:
Originally posted by KC Stoever:
Deke was "furious" says Rene.
What was Slayton "furious" at? Being hot or having this intrusion on his time? |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 10-31-2006 10:50 AM
Ralph Morse reports, Tuesday morning, that the photo shoot took place only after wrangling with NASA. ("You had to argue with them about everything.") NASA argued that never would seven Mercury astronauts be required to suit up together. There was room for only one astronaut in the capsule. Only one astronaut, and perhaps his backup, would therefore be suiting up. NASA therefore argued that the photo made no logical sense. They finally relented to Ralph Morse's visual logic. It would be a great picture, he said. He prevailed. So the shoot took place on a Thursday afternoon (he said the actual date would be on the contact sheets at the archives; he was surprised NASA didn't know). Carpenter, Cooper, Schirra, Shepard, and Slayton were all at Langley. Glenn was at home in Arlington, so he drove down. Gus was at McDonnell for a Friday a.m. appointment to see the capsule for some thing or another. Ralph says he told Gus: "You're an astronaut: rent an airplane and fly back here." That's what Gus did. As for Deke or anyone being "furious," Ralph had a different recollection from that of Rene. "They did whatever I asked!" He added that if anyone were furious with him, he wouldn't have noticed. He was too busy with his work. quote:
Originally posted by robsouth:
What was Slayton "furious" at?
Rene's account of the anger she witnessed is based on her sense of the physical discomfort caused by the uncooled suits and the sense that the shoot was curtailing their other more important duties.These were first-generation spacesuits, he recalled. About the contractual arrangement? Ralph says LIFE "just gave" the photo to NASA and NASA then handed it out to anyone who asked. LIFE never made a cent on the picture. |
SCE to AUX
Member Posts: 245
From: Anytown USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 11-04-2006 09:46 PM
Still can't get over the silver sprayed boots in the photo, what's up with that? |
divemaster
Member Posts: 1376
From: ridgefield, ct
Registered: May 2002
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posted 11-04-2006 11:14 PM
I don't think this was mentioned in this thread, but Ed Buckbee put up a slide of this photo in San Antonio and pointed out that Wally Schirra had the only complete, working flight suit — as he was working on the integration between the suit and the ECS — everyone else had prototypes, incomplete suits or pieces painted to look like space suits. Wally later concurred and reminded everyone that he's the only "Smart S" for wearing the correct suit and the only "Smart S" remaining today. |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 12-28-2006 11:07 AM
I heard recently from a researcher that the August 1960 issue of LIFE magazine (with giraffes on the cover) contains the photo in question. Wally Schirra wrote the accompanying article, in keeping with his Project Mercury specialty assignment of spacesuit design. I haven't read the LIFE article yet. But there may be information there on the circumstances of the shoot. |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 06-15-2007 12:07 PM
An update: Looks like Getty Images is now in possession of the Time-LIFE archives. For researchers in Britain, this is good news indeed, for it appears (am seeking to confirm this) that the entire archival trove was moved from the New York City Time-Life building, where I conducted research in 2001, to London.Use the search field on the Getty site and type in any of the Project Mercury astronaut names, and you will find some provisional answers to the original question regarding the date of the great group photo of the seven in full silvery regalia. It is my understanding that the seven were together only once to suit up in that Langley locker room, and at Morse's insistence. So photos of, for example, Al and Scott in the Langley locker room in their astronaut long johns were necessarily taken the same day as the group shot of them all together, fully suited up. One can see from just a cursory glance, however, that the photos in this series — all taken on ONE day — have several different dates ranging from January 1960 to June 1960. Some are dated April 1960. NASA HQ History Office archives does have an exact date for this first group photo — I saw it in (if I recall correctly) the Carpenter biographical file while doing research last November. |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1332
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 06-16-2007 04:09 PM
The date of February, March or April 1960 sounds about right for the photo of the seven astronauts in their suits. The photo is in the Aug. 1, 1960 issue of Life magazine. The suits they have on are an early model. Slayton said the single neck zipper brothered him while taking Gs in Johnsville Pa. They changed the zippers but did change Shepard's yet. I guess only Schirra an Carpenter had the "spacesuit" boots. I heard the story about Grissom having to come back for the photo also. As far as I know it is the only photo of a group of astronauts wearing there suits all together for a group shot. I know it was a photo op but so what! It's a great picture. |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1332
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 06-25-2007 05:11 PM
Okay folks, here goes, I'm going to stick my neck out and say the date for the photo with the seven astronauts all in there pressure suits is March 17, 1960. From all the photos I have that's the one date that keeps popping up. |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 06-25-2007 07:23 PM
I've come to the same conclusion. |
KC Stoever
Member Posts: 1012
From: Denver, CO USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 12-05-2007 09:27 PM
In a recent interview with legendary NASA photographer Bill Taub at his home in Bowie, Md., Taub recalls that this photograph of the seven space-suited astronauts was taken at the "AWT Building," the Atmospheric Wind Tunnel Building at Langley AFB.Taub drew an impromptu map of Langley and the various major buildings. "The AWT Building was across from the base hospital," he said, pointing to his map. I remember the base hospital. I had stitches put in there. |
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