|
Author
|
Topic: Mercury astronauts posing with F-106 jet
|
328KF
Member Posts: 1251
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
|
posted 12-12-2016 04:29 PM
   
quote:
Originally posted by Tallpaul:
In the film there is a scene where John Glenn is putting a helmet on a civilian.
That looked like PR man Shorty Powers to me. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
|
posted 12-13-2016 11:13 PM
quote:
Originally posted by gliderpilotuk:
...the Mercury 7 mainly used F-102s for maintaining flight proficiency
Here is Gus Grissom with an F-102. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
|
posted 12-14-2016 09:06 PM
There is even film footage related to the Grissom photo above. It shows Carpenter, Grissom and Slayton doing F-102 pre-flight walkarounds on the tarmac at Langley, and Bill Taub taking photos. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2043
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
|
posted 12-14-2016 11:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 328KF:
That looked like PR man Shorty Powers to me.
Definitely Shorty Powers receiving the helmet. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
|
posted 12-15-2016 11:30 AM
A slideshow of "90158" photos can be seen here. |
Tallpaul
Member Posts: 171
From: Rocky Point, NY, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 12-15-2016 12:57 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ColinBurgess:
Definitely Shorty Powers receiving the helmet.
Thank you for answering my question. I also now have insight into how Mr. Powers got his nickname. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
|
posted 12-17-2016 08:29 PM
There are some slightly different versions of the Mercury 7 photo. NASA SP-4219 has this photo that shows Shepard looking more serious.Another version shows Grissom holding his helmet with both hands and Shepard with his feet together. Yet another version shows Cooper holding his helmet with both hands. |
lunarlegacies
Member Posts: 123
From: Merritt Island, FL
Registered: Mar 2009
|
posted 07-08-2018 01:27 PM
Several years ago, five or six years ago really, I noticed that the famous photo of the Mercury astronauts in their flight suits posing in front of the F-106 Delta Dart are standing in alphabetical order. By that time, there were none left to ask about this (at least I had no opportunity), whether it was staged or random. Forgive me if this topic has been covered before — I have told a few people since. If random, mathematically the chances of them standing in alphabetical order would be 7! (7 factorial, 7x6x5x4x3x2x1) making it a 5,040 to 1 chance that this was random, meaning there were 5,040 different ways they could have been ordered. Hopefully someone out there noticed this years before me and was able to ask one of the astronauts. I would be curious to know — random would be quite a nice coincidence for sure. Editor's note: Threads merged. |
YankeeClipper
Member Posts: 622
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2011
|
posted 07-08-2018 02:44 PM
Kris Stoever draws attention in one post earlier in this thread to the fact that they were all standing in alphabetical order — CCGGSSS — Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard, Slayton. I think it was a common mnemonic or aide-memoire at the time so it would be a natural logical order for military test pilots to use or fall into for a photo lineup. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2043
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
|
posted 07-09-2018 05:15 AM
It's also the way they lined up behind the table at the press conference in NASA HQ, Washington D.C. following their selection as Project Mercury astronauts. But curiously enough, they were seated in reverse alphabetical order: Slayton, Shepard, Schirra, Grissom, Glenn, Cooper and Carpenter. |
PeterO
Member Posts: 402
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002
|
posted 07-09-2018 09:48 AM
That’s because they were lined up in alphabetical order, left to right, as they faced the audience. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2043
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
|
posted 07-09-2018 04:57 PM
Quite true ... just pointing out that from a photographer's aspect they are seen in alphabetical order Slayton to Carpenter on the stage, whereas in the F-106 shot they are shown Carpenter to Slayton. |
Explorer1
Member Posts: 180
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Apr 2019
|
posted 01-26-2020 02:43 PM
Does anyone know who took the famous picture of the Mercury astronauts in mismatched flight gear or why it was taken? Editor's note: Threads merged. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 01-26-2020 02:47 PM
As noted earlier the thread: quote:
Originally posted by KC Stoever:
Bill Taub, NACA-NASA photographer, took the photo. He remembers taking this unforgettable photo.
And on the previous page of this thread you can find film footage from that day that shows it was part of a photo session with the Mercury 7 astronauts. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1488
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
|
posted 01-27-2020 10:09 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Explorer1:
...in mismatched flight gear
They are wearing their military issued gear. - Navy - Orange flight suits
- USAF - Green flight suits
- Marine - Green flight suit with yellow life vest.
PPE - Shoes/boots, jacket, life vest, helmet, etc. is personal choice. |
advertisement