welcome to this edition of the
astronauts I'm Lynn Bondurant during
this program will see the historic
suborbital flight of the first american
manned space mission the program was
Project Mercury the year was nineteen
sixty one and the astronaut was Alan B
Shepard the heavens have always
presented a challenge to man many
secrets remain locked in space secrets
that have puzzled them for centuries the
search for knowledge about space is
underway Cape Canaveral Florida May 5th
1961 us mercury astronaut Alan B Shepard
enters his base crap very shortly he
will be on his way into States as the
hat goes on two big questions come to
your mind is the vehicle ready are you
ready before the flight Sheppard had
this to say I think the one thing that
strikes me as I look back on the
training program is that I have really
developed a feeling of confidence a
confidence in the people with whom I
work a confidence in the systems with
which I am dealing and will have to deal
in Floyd and of course a confident in
myself you're confident but you're human
and you go over the program just one
more time a feeling of confidence it
began to grow from the day you and your
six fellow astronauts were selected from
hundreds of volunteers confidence in the
people of Project Mercury the spacecraft
and the launch vehicle and confidence in
yourself you were involved in the design
of the mercury system almost from the
beginning contributed ideas and
modifications you worked with the
engineers came to know the components
and systems like you know your own car
and you followed the test test after
test after test to make sure the design
did what it was supposed to do
while research and development was
underway you went through almost two
years of training you flew mission after
mission in a trainer just like the
crafter sitting in today it came
completely familiar with every control
and instrument an academic program
informed to you and the other pilots on
astronautics space mechanics and
spaceflight kept you briefed on all new
developments in the project zero gravity
flights an aircraft acquainted you with
the condition of weightlessness you
would encounter in flight
you got in a lot of centrifuge time to
today's flight won't submit you to any
g-forces you haven't experienced before
the program simulated every possible
situation you know you're ready to react
almost automatically
you practice controlling the craft
attitude by manual control of pitch roll
and yaw jets that will be part of your
mission today and you're confident that
you can do it you piled up plenty of
experience into three-dimensional
rotation you know that even if tumbling
situations occur after separation you
can bring the craft under control with
your manual control system there were
continuing flights in high-performance
aircraft they were important to you to
your inexperience test pilot flying is
your business in any type of craft you
remember extensive training in escape
and survival techniques there is always
disliked chance the spacecraft mail and
outside the pre-planned area as you sit
in the spacecraft waiting for launch you
know your training has covered every
conceivable eventualities every
emergency no matter how unlikely
as Project Mercury got underway
production of redstone launch vehicles
began at the Marshall Space Flight
Center careful individual production of
vehicles earmarked for mercury from the
day the first bolt came into the plant
the Redstone was available and with
modifications it would do the job
at the mcdonald Aircraft Company plant
at st. Louis just three months after
project inception prototype spacecraft
production was begun a few short months
later production spacecraft were being
completed your trip to the production
points were important you became
thoroughly familiar with the mercury
systems the closure you got to the
system the more confident you became you
followed the flight test program closely
components then systems and prototypes
then production craft a pyramid of
testing a pyramid of tests that would
lead to manned flight you knew that data
and know how was being gathered to
reduce the risk element
on every flight the recovery forces were
exercised procedures were developed to
locate the craft and retrieve it it
became obvious that the craft would not
be in the water very long after landing
a chimpanzee named ham and to monkey
successfully flown in the spacecraft
indicated the feasibility of manned
flight then all this would be mind and
you knew everything humanly possible
have been done to minimize risk to you
and to the other astronauts it was time
now for manned ballistic flight mercury
redstone 3 at Kate canerro launch pad 5
preparations for the mr three flight
began weeks before launch day you went
out and watched the redstone slowly
carefully raised into place on the
launch pad you knew that you might be
the pilot for about 10 days prior at a
meeting with the spacecraft's the
Redstone underwent exhaustive tests
inspections and simulated launch
operations this vital part of the
mission the launch vehicle must be as
near perfect as man can make it before
the spacecraft is installed you and your
fellow astronauts followed the test
program closely
while the redstone was being checked the
spacecraft underwent test procedures at
hangar s several miles from the launch
pad test the electrical systems the
mechanical systems communications
instrumentation DC cultural system
verify Flight Readiness you participated
in many of the tests and checkouts
yourself you had worked closely with the
vehicle for many months if possible
you've got even closer to it during the
days just before lunch you worked with
the mercury engineers and technicians as
they prepared the craft the feeling of
confidence in the mission became even
stronger your fellow astronauts worked
with the same team effort that had
prevailed over the two years of getting
ready you couldn't be everywhere at once
but they could cover for you and as you
sit in the spacecraft you know
everything is as ready as it can
possibly be they covered the control
center the blockhouse the launch vehicle
the tracking stations they kept a finger
on the pulse of the operation the
spacecraft was checked out in a pressure
chamber capable of 120 thousand foot
altitudes to test the environmental
control system and then you were added
to the system you made sure that your
pressure suit and the life-support
system we're working properly
you knew that you weren't just going for
the ride you would be required to gather
information make practical contributions
make sure you collected usable data you
remember the final days in hangar s the
retrorocket package being installed and
you know the care the attention to every
detail that went into the final
servicing the escape tower with its
solid propellant rocket the system which
will pull the spacecraft safely clear of
the launch vehicle before a catastrophic
failure either on the pad before launch
during the launch or while the vehicle
is in powered flight it's a reassuring
thought as you go through your
pre-launch countdown when each
spacecraft system has been thoroughly
checked out a complete simulated launch
and flight operation was run to make
certain all the systems work together as
well as individually and then the
mercury spacecraft was moved to the
launch pad to be made it with its launch
vehicle at the pad the spacecraft was
raised to position on top of the vehicle
now you knew that the final round of
testing was at hand this flight will
provide added qualification for the
spacecraft and its systems in space and
train a pilot for later Atlas boosted
orbital flights
after mating the testing began to make
certain the launch vehicle spacecraft
and block house work together properly
the launch countdown was checked step by
step and the complete mr3 system was
verified to confirm Flight Readiness
complete flight missions from liftoff
through landing both for normal and for
emergency cases were flown
electronically the spacecraft was
heavily instrumented to provide
pertinent data during the flight
throughout this period all the elements
of the mission made their preparations
recovery forces tracking stations the
mercury control center rehearse the
mission again and again you and your
fellow astronauts rehearse your parts
went through the procedures over and
over three days before launch a go no-go
review board evaluated the Flight
Readiness of all the mission elements
spacecraft launch vehicle pilots
tracking stations recovery forces
everything the decision though the
recovery forces were dispatched and on
their way to their stations downrange
May first nineteen sixty one less than
two and a half years from Project
Mercury initiation countdown for a man
to flight was in progress that's a day
that you will never forget mr 3 followed
a split countdown about four hours the
first day a little over six hours the
second day this procedure helps reduce
personnel fatigue hydrogen peroxide
fueling this is used in a spacecraft
attitude control system the first days
countdown was completed with this
operation very early in the morning May
second the final countdown is underway
liquid oxygen for the launch vehicle
before this operation a meeting had been
held to review the weather situation the
weather was marginal but the decision go
at the mercury control center every
detail of the countdown and status of
all other elements such as the recovery
forces in the tracking station was
carefully monitored the mercury
operations director manages the entire
flight from the center
in the blockhouse systems checks were
completed in the spacecraft launch
vehicle checks were also completed the
recovery forces were on station in a
line along the flight path ready to
retrieve the craft even if there should
be an under shoot or an overshoot you
remember the final physical of hangar s
the feeling that now at last the time
was almost at hand and he remembered a
feeling of confidence that you had
confidence that all systems were ready
and that you were ready to before
leaving the hangar for the launch pad
you had sensor leads attached to your
body these leads would provide tonier
data on your body functions and
reactions during the flight mercury
flights are designed to provide
comprehensive information about man
during spaceflight information that can
be used by people all over the world in
their own research projects and then it
happened you remember the left down
feeling you got when this lockbox gave
the word test number 108 mr3 was
scrubbed because of whether a letdown
feeling yes but it was reassuring to
know that the mission would not go
unless everything was right then it was
Friday made fifth three days later and
the countdown was proceeding again you
remember the feeling you have that this
was the day there'd be no scrub today
the mission would go you remember the
ride to the pad in the transport van you
had rehearsed the procedure before taken
the ride to the pad climbed into the
spacecraft but this time you knew it was
the real thing
a feeling of confidence his astronaut
Shepard goes through the pre-launch
countdown he knows the system is as
ready as human effort can make it
doctors in the mercury control center
and the blockhouse monitor Shepards
physiological status during the
countdown astronaut Gordon Cooper
assigned to the Bach house during the
launch operation stays in direct voice
contact with Shepherd as the gantry is
pulled back the emergency vehicle known
as the cherry picker is raised into
position an armored car is located at
the pad it can operate in any terrain at
the viewing stands about two miles away
hundreds of press radio and television
representatives stand by to witness the
launch a helicopter stands by to take a
doctor anywhere he might be needed
astronauts carpenter in cheraw take off
to make direct aerial observation of the
early portion of your flight
an amphibious vehicle is standing by
ready to move out if necessary to make a
closed-end recovery the recovery Force
helicopters are airborne all elements of
the mission have reported ready to the
control center and the launch is go
Roger ready to resume your founder CEO
town over to starting your vote by the
council Tony take it over
yeah but Elijah first opposed retract it
after just three plus 24 volts example
if top at the caucus turn it
Harriet clear Liam 750 always go one
place sylheti Kevin at 40 psi
auctioneers go heaven only 5.5 Kevin
hauling is 5.5
he always go by 5p Kevin five by five
coccidia count of eight bus is 24 de
Faria oh joy 5.5 Kevin oh oh oh okay oh
okay
I did you man y'all y'all yours okay
ok what a feel for you ever
over-fire treated
45 out of paint now green at 21 first
off it out the job is out okay a trophy
boy a bit 70 / 09 here for the day off
okay three bean chili Audrina be creepy
she's going untreated look yet faint
Union good rate at this end ring of our
35 feet per second
peggle get really like it still good
self anybody for a fact
mr 3 followed a normal ballistic arc
peaking at about 115 miles altitude the
spacecraft landed 300 miles downrange
the complete flight took 16 minutes in
gave Alan Shepard about five minutes of
weightlessness
just 11 minutes after the spacecraft
landed Shepherd in the craft were on the
lake champlain complete and detailed
information on the flight and on Alan
Shepard was recorded from launch to
recovery information to be made
available to scientists and interested
people the world over
within minutes after the flight suffered
received a well-done from the president
on behalf of the people of the United
States a well-done accepted by Shepherd
as a representative of all the people in
Project Mercury Project Mercury another
step in man's search for knowledge
freedom 7 another step toward man in
space the flight objectives of the
mission were to learn if man can work in
space and to become familiar with space
flight thanks to the efforts of early
astronauts we confirm that human beings
can work in space in our next show will
learn the story of John Glenn's historic
flight around the earth until then this
is Lynn Bondurant saying goodbye from
the NASA Lewis Research Center in
Cleveland