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Author
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Topic: Mercury astronauts 'peer vote' for first
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taneal1
Member Posts: 245
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Feb 2004
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posted 06-14-2010 12:56 AM
   
Prior to naming Alan Shepard as the pilot for the first US human spaceflight, Bob Gilruth asked the seven Mercury astronauts for a peer vote. To the best of my knowledge, Gilruth never publicly revealed the results. In fact he stated that he destroyed the responses.According to the individual astronauts: - John Glenn voted for Scott Carpenter
- Carpenter voted for Glenn
- Wally Schirra voted for Shepard
- Gordon Cooper voted for Gus Grissom
Shepard's, Grissom's and Deke Slayton's votes are unknown (at least to me anyway). My guesses are that: - Shepard voted for Grissom or Slayton
- Grissom voted for Shepard or Slayton
- Slayton voted for Shepard or Grissom
Slayton's fibrillation was known at the time, so it may have effected the voting. Does anyone know who Shepard, Grissom, and Slayton chose? |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1337
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 06-14-2010 05:40 AM
This is a hard one. I had heard of Gilruth's peer vote, but never the results. Supposably he put the question this way. "If you could not make the flight yourself, who would you choose"? I think (notice I say think) this was done during the first week of January 1961.It has been speculated that since President Kennedy was in the Navy, Gilruth was going to pick a Navy man. That was Slayton's take on it. I asked Bob Gilruth this same question (in the mid 1980's). His answer was he just thought Shepard was the best man for the job. |
taneal1
Member Posts: 245
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Feb 2004
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posted 06-14-2010 04:14 PM
I agree Shepard was clearly considered to be the standout of the group. I don't think his service affiliation had anything to do with him flying first.I do think that the original 7's three USN and three USAF balance was intentional. They had more than enough talent in that group that they didn't have to pick less qualified candidates to keep the services balanced. NASA needed AF cooperation to use their launch facilities, and the Navy for recovery. Note also that the first three astronauts to fly were Shepard, Grissom and Glenn. That is Navy, Air Force and Marine astronauts before there was a repeat. NASA says it was not done intentionally, but all that is too much to be a coincidence in my opinion. |
taneal1
Member Posts: 245
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Feb 2004
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posted 05-10-2020 08:42 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Lou Chinal:
I asked Bob Gilruth this same question...
Did you by any chance ever ask Shepard or Grissom who they voted for? |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4221
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-10-2020 06:34 PM
I would not be surprised to discover that Shepard voted for Shepard.  |
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