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In 1969, a group
of astronauts change the world.
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They ride the biggest rocket
ever built to the moon.
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It's the culmination
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of more than 10 years
of space pioneering
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00:00:26,151 --> 00:00:29,613
and a foundation
for more than four decades
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00:00:29,696 --> 00:00:31,990
of exploring worlds
beyond our own.
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This is the story
of our greatest adventure.
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In the high desert
of California,
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NASA tests
an experimental rocket plane.
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The X-15.
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They want to put a man
into space...
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...and they're in a hurry.
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Rockets were powering aircraft
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at higher and higher speeds.
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The X-15 had enough energy
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to zoom to altitudes
above the atmosphere.
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The X-15 flies so high,
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pilots experience weightlessness
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and look out
into the darkness of space.
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But even at 600,000 horsepower,
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it would need to fly
four times its top speed
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to put a man into orbit.
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The Soviet Union holds
an early lead in the space race,
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launching the first unmanned
satellite to orbit the Earth.
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On October 4, 1957,
when Sputnik went into orbit,
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people were so upset.
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They said, "These people
can't build a refrigerator.
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How can they get into orbit?
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How did this happen?"
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5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
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To beat the Soviets,
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NASA must launch a man
into Earth orbit.
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Only rockets
could go fast enough --
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more than 17,000 miles per hour.
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They call the program
Project Mercury
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and rally a team of determined
young scientists and engineers
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to figure out how to fly
a military missile
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with a man on top.
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Most of us came in
from aircraft flight desks,
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and we knew nothing
about rocketry,
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or we knew nothing
about spacecraft.
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We knew nothing about orbits.
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00:02:40,619 --> 00:02:43,622
Gene Kranz
joins the flight director's team
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in NASA's earliest days.
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So it was a question
of learning to drink
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from a fire hose.
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We had to learn
all about trajectories.
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I'd never heard
the term "retrofire,"
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coming on down from orbit,
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getting the spacecraft
back home.
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Kranz develops many of
the mission-control procedures
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for launching a man into space.
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The Mercury program was --
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To me,
it was the most challenging,
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because we had to
virtually invent or adapt
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00:03:11,984 --> 00:03:14,653
every tool that we used.
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No man has ever
survived a vertical blast-off
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on top of a rocket.
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The risks are extremely high.
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00:03:27,166 --> 00:03:31,128
At first, even stuntmen
are considered for the job.
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There were suggestions
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they take people
like Evel Knievel
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or race drivers
or something like that.
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And then
President Eisenhower said
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he'd rather have it be
military test pilots.
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Test pilots
are trained to operate
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and analyze
experimental flying machines.
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110 of the military's
best pilots qualify.
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NASA selects the top seven.
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These, ladies and gentlemen,
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are the nation's
Mercury astronauts.
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The Mercury Seven astronauts
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become instant celebrities.
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The press
follows their every move.
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You knew these guys.
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You lived with these guys.
You socialized with them.
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They were the story.
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00:04:25,432 --> 00:04:28,477
Wally Schirra, a man of detail,
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made the best textbook flight
of them all.
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00:04:31,396 --> 00:04:34,775
Alan Shepard, extremely smart.
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00:04:35,651 --> 00:04:40,197
Scott Carpenter,
the first scientist astronaut.
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00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:44,201
Gordo Cooper,
the best pilot of the bunch.
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Deke, nobody messed with.
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Great human being in every way.
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00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:54,878
Gus Grissom, engineering savvy,
quiet intellect.
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00:04:54,962 --> 00:04:59,925
John Glenn, civilized man,
probably the most level-headed.
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00:05:00,008 --> 00:05:03,262
Glenn is already
a public figure,
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after making the first
cross-country supersonic flight.
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00:05:08,267 --> 00:05:12,938
But even for a Marine,
astronaut training is intense.
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They ran us through every
check they knew how to run.
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00:05:17,150 --> 00:05:18,610
I think, every medical test
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they knew how to do
on the human body.
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It was a very thorough
going-through.
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Prepare to be at 0.5 G.
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To carry the first
astronaut safely into space,
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NASA designs
a pressurized capsule.
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The one-man spacecraft
replaces a nuclear warhead
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as the payload
for a Redstone missile.
99
00:05:41,258 --> 00:05:45,095
But they're not ready
to launch men into space.
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I saw a lot of rockets launched.
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I'd say that somewhere between
30% and 40% of them failed.
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A lot of them
came up off the pad
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and went the opposite direction.
104
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Some of them got
halfway off the pad and blew up.
105
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Some of them got to 10,000 feet
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and turned the other way
and blew up.
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The whole thing crumbled
and blew up.
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It looked like an atomic bomb
went off almost over our heads.
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We got a big kick out of
watching the Mercury astronauts.
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It was great
looking at their eyes.
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We're looking at this
thing and looking at each other
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and deciding we want to go back
and talk to the engineers
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a little more
before we go further.
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Engineers make the rockets
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more reliable for manned flight,
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but doctors still aren't
convinced the man on top
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will be able to function
in the weightlessness of space.
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There was grave doubt in about
98% of the medical community
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that the man
could perform a task
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when flying in zero gravity,
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that he would have
trouble seeing,
122
00:07:06,176 --> 00:07:08,762
that he would have
trouble swallowing,
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he would have
trouble breathing...
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he would have trouble talking.
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00:07:14,935 --> 00:07:17,271
We had to prove
to the medical community
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that man would survive,
in the first place,
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and, secondly,
that he could do a task.
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It's not made public,
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but John Glenn, Alan Shepard,
and Gus Grissom
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are on NASA's short list to be
America's first man in space.
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We were all very competitive.
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We wanted to get
those first flights.
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January 1961--
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The rocket and capsule
are finally ready to fly.
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00:07:52,139 --> 00:07:57,269
But none of the astronauts
are happy about NASA's choice.
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A specially trained chimpanzee
named Ham
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00:08:01,690 --> 00:08:04,610
will fly
the next Mercury mission.
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00:08:08,155 --> 00:08:11,700
There was a group
of professional naysayers
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00:08:11,783 --> 00:08:16,788
in Washington who insisted
that we do some more work
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to prove a 5-minute flight
wouldn't be fatal to man.
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NASA's medical team sends Ham
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as a final test
that man can function in zero G.
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The astronauts fear
they're losing precious time.
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None of them liked it.
145
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Alan was fighting
to get rid of the chimpanzee.
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He didn't want the chimpanzee
to take up a rocket,
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to take up a seat.
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January 31, 1961--
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Ham blasts off on
a suborbital mission into space.
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2... 1... 0.
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Lift-off.
152
00:09:08,757 --> 00:09:10,884
While weightless,
153
00:09:10,968 --> 00:09:14,638
Ham's put through a series
of tests and performs well.
154
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Physically,
he's unaffected by zero G.
155
00:09:21,270 --> 00:09:23,730
Ham splashes down off-target.
156
00:09:25,190 --> 00:09:29,695
He's fatigued, dehydrated,
but generally in good shape.
157
00:09:30,946 --> 00:09:34,283
His mission proves
man can function in space.
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00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,543
But doubts remain about
the reliability of the rockets,
159
00:09:44,585 --> 00:09:47,754
and they still don't know
who will fly first.
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00:09:47,838 --> 00:09:50,924
It had been
a big mystery for a long time --
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Who's gonna fly first?
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The director
of the Manned Spacecraft Center
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finally reveals his choice.
164
00:10:00,976 --> 00:10:04,438
Bob Gilruth came to our office,
165
00:10:04,521 --> 00:10:09,985
and he named Al
for the first ballistic flight.
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00:10:10,068 --> 00:10:12,029
Alan Shepard
was chosen to be the first,
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00:10:12,070 --> 00:10:14,615
because he was considered
to be the smartest
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of the seven astronauts.
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They felt, if Alan, on the first
one, had anything went wrong,
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00:10:19,411 --> 00:10:21,747
he was more apt
to be able to analyze
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00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:24,541
or fix or do
or get it out of trouble.
172
00:10:24,625 --> 00:10:27,753
After more tests
and more delays,
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00:10:27,836 --> 00:10:31,089
NASA still hopes
to put the first man in space.
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00:10:31,131 --> 00:10:33,217
There was certainly
competition in the group.
175
00:10:33,300 --> 00:10:35,302
Nevertheless,
when it came time for a flight,
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we worked together as closely
as anybody could work together.
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00:10:39,556 --> 00:10:42,226
We had done everything
we know how to do
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to make this
as safe as we can make it.
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We're done with all the tests,
180
00:10:47,105 --> 00:10:50,442
so we stand around and look
at each other one last time
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00:10:50,484 --> 00:10:55,656
and ask, "Okay, are we really
ready to light this candle?"
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00:10:55,739 --> 00:10:58,617
Eventually, the answer
to that has to be "yes".
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00:11:05,165 --> 00:11:07,334
Alan Shepard's
suborbital mission
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finally has a launch date --
May 2nd.
185
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But, on April 12th,
NASA receives stunning news.
186
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The Soviet Union puts a man into
orbit and brings him back alive.
187
00:11:23,141 --> 00:11:26,770
Cosmonaut Yury Gagarin
becomes the first man in space
188
00:11:26,854 --> 00:11:31,483
just 20 days before Shepard
is scheduled to fly.
189
00:11:31,567 --> 00:11:35,112
We were all very angry
about not being able to fly
190
00:11:35,153 --> 00:11:36,780
as quickly as we could have.
191
00:11:36,864 --> 00:11:40,909
And we would have beaten Gagarin
into space had we done that.
192
00:11:42,035 --> 00:11:44,371
Al was not pleased at all.
193
00:11:44,454 --> 00:11:46,498
He was very disappointed
194
00:11:46,582 --> 00:11:49,251
that he was not to be
the first spaceman.
195
00:11:49,334 --> 00:11:53,297
And I was hoping for my friend
Alan Shepard beyond hope
196
00:11:53,380 --> 00:11:54,673
that he would be first,
197
00:11:54,715 --> 00:11:58,468
and it tears you up
to know he could have been.
198
00:12:00,387 --> 00:12:04,516
Yet many milestones lie ahead.
199
00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,644
The space race
has only just begun.
200
00:12:10,856 --> 00:12:12,983
John Glenn said, "Let's face it.
201
00:12:13,066 --> 00:12:15,152
They beat the pants off of us.
202
00:12:15,194 --> 00:12:18,697
Now let's all go on, and let's
learn how to fly in space."
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00:12:22,159 --> 00:12:28,874
23 days later --
May 5, 1961, 2:40 a.m. --
204
00:12:28,916 --> 00:12:30,751
Shepard's preflight medical.
205
00:12:30,834 --> 00:12:35,297
After three days of delays,
the final countdown has begun.
206
00:12:36,089 --> 00:12:37,799
He was a cool cat.
207
00:12:38,926 --> 00:12:42,513
But Alan Shepard
was an educated daredevil.
208
00:12:42,554 --> 00:12:47,226
Everybody was praying
Alan could survive in space.
209
00:12:51,396 --> 00:12:52,940
Inboard cutoff.
210
00:12:53,023 --> 00:12:55,025
- Inboard engines out.
- Inboard cutoff.
211
00:12:57,694 --> 00:13:02,574
It was very exciting,
very frightening,
212
00:13:02,616 --> 00:13:07,746
to see a man come out
of the trailer that he was in...
213
00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:10,249
to look up at that vehicle...
214
00:13:10,290 --> 00:13:11,500
ride the elevator up,
215
00:13:11,583 --> 00:13:13,919
and then wait for us
to get ready to launch.
216
00:13:15,254 --> 00:13:17,506
5:21 a.m. --
217
00:13:17,589 --> 00:13:20,259
Technicians strap him
into the capsule.
218
00:13:20,342 --> 00:13:22,970
Until the hatch is opened again,
219
00:13:23,053 --> 00:13:25,973
Shepard's only link to the world
is Deke Slayton,
220
00:13:26,056 --> 00:13:30,269
the mission's Cap Com,
or capsule communicator.
221
00:13:31,562 --> 00:13:33,272
Downrange in the Atlantic,
222
00:13:33,355 --> 00:13:35,816
the Navy prepares
for Shepard's recovery.
223
00:13:37,317 --> 00:13:42,739
45 million Americans watched
the launch live on television.
224
00:13:44,324 --> 00:13:47,661
Local beaches
offer a front-row seat.
225
00:13:48,620 --> 00:13:51,748
Everybody,
including myself, came here.
226
00:13:51,832 --> 00:13:54,418
We came any way we could.
227
00:13:54,501 --> 00:13:55,502
The excitement here --
228
00:13:55,586 --> 00:13:58,672
If you can imagine a million
people outside these gates,
229
00:13:58,755 --> 00:14:00,382
trying to push through
these fences,
230
00:14:00,465 --> 00:14:02,885
trying to see
what they could see.
231
00:14:02,968 --> 00:14:07,890
Everybody was praying
and pushing for Alan Shepard.
232
00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:10,767
T.M. is a go.
233
00:14:10,851 --> 00:14:13,854
We have a momentary hold.
234
00:14:13,937 --> 00:14:16,440
As the countdown
progressed, we had frustrations.
235
00:14:16,523 --> 00:14:19,443
They had problems
with the spacecraft hatch.
236
00:14:19,484 --> 00:14:22,070
And Alan Shepard
was getting impatient.
237
00:14:22,905 --> 00:14:25,991
Four hours later,
Shepard is losing his cool.
238
00:14:28,118 --> 00:14:30,871
Okay, if you would like
to get an estimate...
239
00:14:30,954 --> 00:14:33,832
You could see
Alan Shepard's heart rate go up,
240
00:14:33,874 --> 00:14:36,502
and it reached above 200.
241
00:14:37,211 --> 00:14:39,588
Lord knows
what my heart rate was.
242
00:14:40,672 --> 00:14:43,383
There's nothing wrong
with being frightened.
243
00:14:43,467 --> 00:14:45,636
It makes you do a better job.
244
00:14:45,677 --> 00:14:47,846
But no one at Mission Control
245
00:14:47,930 --> 00:14:50,849
wants to give the final "go"
for launch.
246
00:14:50,933 --> 00:14:54,603
All of us
were extremely apprehensive.
247
00:14:54,686 --> 00:14:59,316
We had never had a human being
on the topside of a rocket.
248
00:14:59,358 --> 00:15:00,609
Resume the count.
249
00:15:00,692 --> 00:15:02,152
I'm gonna turn it over...
250
00:15:02,236 --> 00:15:04,196
It's Alan Shepard who decides
251
00:15:04,238 --> 00:15:06,406
they've waited long enough.
252
00:15:06,490 --> 00:15:09,326
Finally, he says,
"Let's light this candle.
253
00:15:09,368 --> 00:15:10,494
Let's go."
254
00:15:12,913 --> 00:15:18,293
T-Minus 10... 9...
8... 7... 6... 5...
255
00:15:18,377 --> 00:15:19,962
He had one single-line prayer
256
00:15:20,045 --> 00:15:22,047
that he said
just before ignition.
257
00:15:22,714 --> 00:15:24,591
"Don't mess this up."
258
00:15:25,425 --> 00:15:27,219
But he didn't say "mess".
259
00:15:27,261 --> 00:15:28,679
Ignition.
260
00:15:32,474 --> 00:15:36,019
All right, lift-off,
and the clock has started.
261
00:15:36,103 --> 00:15:39,523
It was sort of like the first
hit in a football game.
262
00:15:43,151 --> 00:15:45,904
When that Mercury Redstone
263
00:15:45,946 --> 00:15:47,739
rose above the tree line,
264
00:15:47,823 --> 00:15:49,408
cars stopped.
265
00:15:49,491 --> 00:15:52,494
People got out, hit their knees,
and literally prayed.
266
00:15:53,745 --> 00:15:55,205
This is F reedom 7...
267
00:15:55,289 --> 00:15:57,082
We saw that guy go,
268
00:15:57,124 --> 00:16:00,085
and we could track him
for about the first 20 seconds
269
00:16:00,169 --> 00:16:01,378
as he went
through powered flight,
270
00:16:01,420 --> 00:16:02,796
and then back down
at the consoles
271
00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,631
and look at the data
and listen to the calls.
272
00:16:04,715 --> 00:16:07,259
Pressure is holding at 5.5.
273
00:16:07,342 --> 00:16:10,345
Cabin holding at 5.5.
274
00:16:11,597 --> 00:16:14,057
He is disappearing.
275
00:16:14,141 --> 00:16:18,562
Here's a man
going over 100 miles into space.
276
00:16:18,604 --> 00:16:21,106
Cabin 5.5.
277
00:16:21,190 --> 00:16:23,775
He looked so lonely up there.
278
00:16:30,574 --> 00:16:33,285
Five minutes after lift-off,
279
00:16:33,327 --> 00:16:37,623
Alan Shepard becomes
America's first man in space.
280
00:16:47,090 --> 00:16:49,092
Shepard's suborbital flight
281
00:16:49,176 --> 00:16:54,598
reaches 116 miles
above the Earth, then descends.
282
00:17:01,522 --> 00:17:06,652
The retro -- 5... 4... 3... 2.
Go ahead.
283
00:17:12,491 --> 00:17:14,952
NASA still fears
the high g-forces
284
00:17:15,035 --> 00:17:18,163
or extreme temperatures
of reentry could kill him.
285
00:17:23,335 --> 00:17:28,048
There was no question, we --
We were sweating bullets.
286
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:46,859
Mr. Shepard, okay?
287
00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:50,404
Okay.
288
00:17:50,487 --> 00:17:52,614
Okay.
289
00:17:52,698 --> 00:17:54,950
Mr. Shepard, okay?
290
00:17:55,909 --> 00:17:57,870
As expected, Mission Control
291
00:17:57,911 --> 00:18:00,998
loses radio contact with Shepard
during reentry.
292
00:18:07,421 --> 00:18:09,047
F reedom 7, this is Cap Com.
293
00:18:09,089 --> 00:18:10,674
Do you read me?
294
00:18:16,930 --> 00:18:20,392
7, this is Cap Com.
Do you read me?
295
00:18:23,812 --> 00:18:26,857
In Mission Control,
we're absolutely helpless.
296
00:18:32,237 --> 00:18:33,989
F reedom 7, this is Cap Com.
297
00:18:34,072 --> 00:18:35,199
Do you read me?
298
00:18:39,161 --> 00:18:41,705
7, this is Cap Com.
Do you read me?
299
00:19:04,394 --> 00:19:05,562
Roger.
300
00:19:09,566 --> 00:19:11,985
The mission only lasted
about 20 minutes.
301
00:19:13,028 --> 00:19:15,697
But this was the purest,
happiest 20 minutes
302
00:19:15,781 --> 00:19:16,907
of our entire life.
303
00:19:16,949 --> 00:19:19,076
He just hit the water
a moment ago.
304
00:19:19,159 --> 00:19:21,745
A cheer went up from
the ship company watching him
305
00:19:21,787 --> 00:19:24,331
from all decks
on the aircraft carrier.
306
00:19:27,793 --> 00:19:28,877
I think he proved,
307
00:19:28,961 --> 00:19:31,255
without a question
in anybody's mind,
308
00:19:31,296 --> 00:19:36,093
that man, indeed, could perform
almost any task in a spacecraft.
309
00:19:37,177 --> 00:19:41,974
This was our first man in space.
310
00:19:42,975 --> 00:19:44,768
And it was total joy.
311
00:19:46,478 --> 00:19:50,482
The excitement of it --
That has never been matched.
312
00:19:51,483 --> 00:19:54,945
When Alan Shepard went,
it was the unknown.
313
00:19:56,071 --> 00:19:58,365
It was the unknown.
314
00:20:01,451 --> 00:20:04,621
Just 20 days later,
President John Kennedy
315
00:20:04,663 --> 00:20:08,333
sets a new goal
for America's space program.
316
00:20:08,417 --> 00:20:10,502
I believe that this nation
317
00:20:10,586 --> 00:20:12,838
should commit itself
to achieving the goal,
318
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,341
before this decade is out,
of landing a man on the moon
319
00:20:16,425 --> 00:20:19,303
and returning him safely
to the Earth.
320
00:20:19,344 --> 00:20:22,681
This young president
of ours gets up and says,
321
00:20:22,764 --> 00:20:24,933
"We're gonna go to the moon
and we're gonna land there
322
00:20:25,017 --> 00:20:27,853
and we're gonna bring the people
back home within the decade."
323
00:20:27,895 --> 00:20:32,191
I was staggered or stunned
or overwhelmed
324
00:20:32,274 --> 00:20:35,819
by the scale of the challenge.
325
00:20:36,862 --> 00:20:40,908
The first American
has barely reached space,
326
00:20:40,991 --> 00:20:43,702
and NASA still
hasn't put a man into orbit.
327
00:20:44,703 --> 00:20:47,706
But the countdown to
the end of the decade has begun.
328
00:20:47,789 --> 00:20:50,918
We had the knowledge,
the moxie, and the will
329
00:20:51,001 --> 00:20:53,587
to not only catch up
but surpass and beat them
330
00:20:53,670 --> 00:20:55,380
in the business of space flight.
331
00:20:57,674 --> 00:21:00,135
NASA wants to put
another man into space
332
00:21:00,219 --> 00:21:01,845
in a hurry,
333
00:21:01,887 --> 00:21:05,349
to prove Shepard's mission
was no fluke.
334
00:21:05,432 --> 00:21:07,392
They figure
Gus Grissom is the engineer,
335
00:21:07,476 --> 00:21:10,187
so Gus will make
the second flight,
336
00:21:10,229 --> 00:21:13,857
and he'll be looking out
for our engineering question.
337
00:21:13,899 --> 00:21:15,817
But the intense
training prepares them
338
00:21:15,901 --> 00:21:20,030
to do very little
actual flying in space.
339
00:21:20,072 --> 00:21:21,949
Seven of the world's best pilots
340
00:21:22,032 --> 00:21:24,243
want a spacecraft
they can control.
341
00:21:24,326 --> 00:21:26,245
Gus was somewhat frustrated,
342
00:21:26,286 --> 00:21:28,831
because the people
that were putting this together
343
00:21:28,914 --> 00:21:30,249
were trying to make it
344
00:21:30,332 --> 00:21:32,417
so that the astronaut
really had nothing to do.
345
00:21:32,501 --> 00:21:34,419
He was just riding
in this thing.
346
00:21:41,552 --> 00:21:43,971
It took a while
to convince the pilots
347
00:21:44,054 --> 00:21:47,057
that we wanted to use
their talents
348
00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:49,309
in making the machine better.
349
00:21:49,393 --> 00:21:51,770
Then they realized that's what
we were trying to do,
350
00:21:51,812 --> 00:21:54,898
and we had a great relationship
with the seven astronauts
351
00:21:54,982 --> 00:21:57,067
for that very reason.
352
00:21:57,109 --> 00:21:59,903
We split up the duties
in the group itself.
353
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,490
And one of my duties
was in cockpit layout --
354
00:22:03,574 --> 00:22:05,117
organizing your instrument panel
355
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,120
so you get the information
when you need it.
356
00:22:08,203 --> 00:22:11,039
Deke was gonna follow
booster development for us.
357
00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:15,586
Scott, I think,
was on navigation
358
00:22:15,627 --> 00:22:18,589
and how we're gonna keep track
of where this thing is.
359
00:22:19,464 --> 00:22:21,675
Gus Grissom
had the whole recovery effort...
360
00:22:22,593 --> 00:22:24,636
and organizing the Navy.
361
00:22:25,846 --> 00:22:28,932
So each of us had sort of
a specialty area like that.
362
00:22:31,685 --> 00:22:34,438
NASA redesigns the capsule.
363
00:22:34,479 --> 00:22:36,565
Grissom will have
greater control
364
00:22:36,648 --> 00:22:39,151
over the flight
of his spacecraft
365
00:22:39,234 --> 00:22:41,778
and a new explosive
escape hatch.
366
00:22:46,575 --> 00:22:50,287
Grissom names his capsule
Liberty Bell 7.
367
00:22:50,329 --> 00:22:52,456
It has another important,
new feature.
368
00:22:52,539 --> 00:22:54,249
In the original
spacecraft design,
369
00:22:54,333 --> 00:22:55,334
there was no window.
370
00:22:55,417 --> 00:22:57,878
The reason was that
that was gonna add weight --
371
00:22:57,961 --> 00:23:00,422
not only the window itself,
which had to be thick,
372
00:23:00,506 --> 00:23:03,175
but the support structure
around it.
373
00:23:03,258 --> 00:23:05,093
And weight was critical.
374
00:23:08,847 --> 00:23:11,683
10 weeks
after Alan Shepard's flight,
375
00:23:11,767 --> 00:23:15,687
Gus Grissom is ready
for a second suborbital mission.
376
00:23:16,688 --> 00:23:18,941
Shepard is Grissom's Cap Com.
377
00:23:21,902 --> 00:23:26,698
4... 3... 2... 1... 0.
378
00:23:26,782 --> 00:23:28,492
Lift-off!
379
00:23:52,015 --> 00:23:53,475
I understand.
380
00:24:08,115 --> 00:24:11,743
15 minutes
and 37 seconds after blast-off,
381
00:24:11,827 --> 00:24:13,954
nearly a bull's-eye splashdown.
382
00:24:16,707 --> 00:24:19,001
The capsule had landed
in the water.
383
00:24:19,084 --> 00:24:22,004
At that point,
we thought it had gone well.
384
00:24:27,426 --> 00:24:29,553
Another perfect flight.
385
00:24:29,595 --> 00:24:32,097
Mission Control celebrates.
386
00:24:38,437 --> 00:24:41,899
It was the joy of having
a successful mission.
387
00:24:41,982 --> 00:24:43,609
Came off like a piece of cake.
388
00:24:49,948 --> 00:24:52,284
Gus was sitting there minding
his own business,
389
00:24:52,326 --> 00:24:54,036
and, all at once, it was pow.
390
00:24:55,287 --> 00:24:59,249
The hatch blew, and water
started coming in over the side.
391
00:25:00,459 --> 00:25:02,753
The capsule starts sinking.
392
00:25:02,794 --> 00:25:06,632
Grissom has only moments
to escape.
393
00:25:15,432 --> 00:25:18,977
The space suit is designed
to keep him afloat.
394
00:25:20,729 --> 00:25:24,274
He had forgot to close
one of the valves in his suit,
395
00:25:24,358 --> 00:25:25,943
and it was letting water in.
396
00:25:26,026 --> 00:25:28,237
No longer a life preserver,
397
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,822
the suit fills with water
and drags him under.
398
00:25:30,906 --> 00:25:33,367
The prop wash
from the helicopter
399
00:25:33,450 --> 00:25:36,829
was starting to cause him
a big problem.
400
00:25:36,912 --> 00:25:38,956
He was very close to drowning.
401
00:25:43,126 --> 00:25:44,962
Unaware Gus is in trouble,
402
00:25:45,003 --> 00:25:46,839
helicopter pilot Jim Lewis
403
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,591
tries to save
the sinking capsule first.
404
00:25:49,675 --> 00:25:53,720
We almost had it free and
out, but every time it came out,
405
00:25:53,804 --> 00:25:57,349
a wave would come along and grab
it and pull it back down.
406
00:26:01,019 --> 00:26:03,146
In Mission Control,
we were absolutely helpless.
407
00:26:03,188 --> 00:26:06,024
We were watching the helicopter
trying to grapple
408
00:26:06,066 --> 00:26:08,068
and lift the spacecraft up.
409
00:26:08,151 --> 00:26:11,947
And we could see Gus struggling
out there in the rotor wash.
410
00:26:12,030 --> 00:26:13,657
And in Mission Control,
411
00:26:13,699 --> 00:26:16,201
a lot of us were saying,
"Forget the spacecraft!
412
00:26:16,243 --> 00:26:18,245
Get Gus, get Gus, get Gus!"
413
00:26:19,371 --> 00:26:21,790
Suddenly,
Lewis has another problem.
414
00:26:24,710 --> 00:26:27,713
A warning light indicates
his engine is overheating.
415
00:26:30,382 --> 00:26:32,050
Normally, when that happened,
416
00:26:32,134 --> 00:26:34,178
you had about 5 minutes' worth
of engine power
417
00:26:34,261 --> 00:26:36,805
before experiencing
an engine failure.
418
00:26:38,056 --> 00:26:40,184
I didn't want Gus in my aircraft
419
00:26:40,267 --> 00:26:42,436
in the event
that we lost the engine.
420
00:26:48,984 --> 00:26:50,527
We were gonna lose him.
421
00:26:53,780 --> 00:26:57,409
A second chopper
rushes in to pick up Grissom...
422
00:26:58,327 --> 00:27:01,121
...as Lewis struggles
with the capsule.
423
00:27:05,959 --> 00:27:07,961
Grissom is safe.
424
00:27:08,962 --> 00:27:15,886
But Liberty Bell 7 and all
its invaluable data are lost.
425
00:27:15,928 --> 00:27:18,972
The entire spacecraft sank
in 3 miles of water,
426
00:27:19,056 --> 00:27:21,433
which was deeper
than the Titanic.
427
00:27:22,601 --> 00:27:27,439
And we had no vehicles that were
capable of doing recovery.
428
00:27:28,398 --> 00:27:30,400
We lost the spacecraft.
429
00:27:33,028 --> 00:27:34,238
But we got our crewman back.
430
00:27:36,698 --> 00:27:40,452
Gus was destroyed
about losing his capsule.
431
00:27:41,453 --> 00:27:44,623
He said that that was the only
craft that he ever lost.
432
00:27:44,706 --> 00:27:48,252
President Kennedy
congratulates Grissom,
433
00:27:48,335 --> 00:27:51,255
but suborbital flights
aren't enough.
434
00:27:55,008 --> 00:28:00,097
America is still coming
in second in the race for space.
435
00:28:00,180 --> 00:28:02,099
And NASA still hasn't fulfilled
436
00:28:02,140 --> 00:28:04,852
the primary goal
of Project Mercury --
437
00:28:04,935 --> 00:28:08,981
launching a man into orbit
and bringing him home alive.
438
00:28:09,064 --> 00:28:11,817
They said, "There's no sense
in hanging around here."
439
00:28:11,859 --> 00:28:15,153
The Soviets
were claiming superiority
440
00:28:15,195 --> 00:28:16,572
to the United States.
441
00:28:16,655 --> 00:28:19,074
They had already made
orbital flights,
442
00:28:19,158 --> 00:28:20,325
and so the pressure was on us
443
00:28:20,409 --> 00:28:22,327
to see whether
we could do the same thing.
444
00:28:22,369 --> 00:28:24,454
Everybody loved John Glenn
445
00:28:24,496 --> 00:28:27,791
simply because of his talent
to deal with the public.
446
00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:31,461
In his capsule, F riendship 7,
447
00:28:31,545 --> 00:28:35,007
John Glenn will attempt
NASA's first orbital mission.
448
00:28:35,048 --> 00:28:37,384
After more than a month
of delays,
449
00:28:37,467 --> 00:28:39,469
he's finally ready to fly.
450
00:28:39,511 --> 00:28:42,055
We lived in a motel
about 15 miles south
451
00:28:42,139 --> 00:28:43,807
of the space center.
452
00:28:43,849 --> 00:28:46,351
And every morning when we'd get
ready to come out to work,
453
00:28:46,393 --> 00:28:47,728
we'd go and look and see
454
00:28:47,811 --> 00:28:50,022
if the searchlights were on
on the launchpad.
455
00:28:51,481 --> 00:28:52,608
If the searchlights were on,
456
00:28:52,691 --> 00:28:54,359
we felt pretty confident
driving in,
457
00:28:54,443 --> 00:28:55,986
because somebody
was there doing something
458
00:28:56,028 --> 00:28:58,655
and the countdown was
more than likely progressing.
459
00:28:58,739 --> 00:29:01,366
You felt,
"Okay, we're going for it.
460
00:29:01,450 --> 00:29:03,076
We're gonna get it today."
461
00:29:04,119 --> 00:29:08,123
NASA needs more power
to put a spacecraft into orbit.
462
00:29:09,666 --> 00:29:12,586
The larger Atlas rocket
will blast Glenn
463
00:29:12,669 --> 00:29:18,675
162 miles above the Earth at
a speed of 17,500 miles an hour.
464
00:29:20,385 --> 00:29:22,262
John Glenn --
He was a fighter pilot
465
00:29:22,346 --> 00:29:24,056
in World War I I and Korea.
466
00:29:24,139 --> 00:29:26,683
He had three different aircraft
467
00:29:26,767 --> 00:29:28,852
that were literally
shot out from under him,
468
00:29:28,894 --> 00:29:32,022
and he managed
to fly those things home.
469
00:29:32,064 --> 00:29:35,025
So they said,
"John will bring it back down."
470
00:29:39,071 --> 00:29:41,406
Glenn will orbit
the Earth three times.
471
00:29:42,407 --> 00:29:44,034
NASA's biggest concern --
472
00:29:44,076 --> 00:29:48,163
Shepard and Grissom were
weightless for five minutes.
473
00:29:48,247 --> 00:29:51,375
Glenn will be weightless
for nearly five hours.
474
00:29:51,416 --> 00:29:53,585
Someone had predicted that,
in zero G,
475
00:29:53,669 --> 00:29:55,796
your eyes no longer needed
to be supported
476
00:29:55,879 --> 00:29:57,381
by the structure under the eye
477
00:29:57,422 --> 00:30:00,509
and that your eye would
gradually change shape in orbit.
478
00:30:00,592 --> 00:30:01,885
Your eye might change enough,
479
00:30:01,927 --> 00:30:04,054
you would have trouble seeing
the instrument panel.
480
00:30:06,098 --> 00:30:09,518
NASA has tracking
stations all over the world.
481
00:30:09,601 --> 00:30:12,938
We had the capability
to track spacecraft by radar,
482
00:30:13,021 --> 00:30:16,608
and we had the capability
of getting EKG
483
00:30:16,692 --> 00:30:19,736
and heart rate
and breath rate,
484
00:30:19,820 --> 00:30:23,907
as well as telling us what
was going on in the spacecraft.
485
00:30:28,203 --> 00:30:30,497
There will be no smoking
in the blackout
486
00:30:30,581 --> 00:30:31,874
until further notice.
487
00:30:31,957 --> 00:30:33,083
T-Minus 7.
488
00:30:33,167 --> 00:30:35,586
- We might have it by then.
Roger.
489
00:30:35,627 --> 00:30:37,963
I'd been through all
of that -- 11 scheduled dates
490
00:30:38,005 --> 00:30:39,590
and three times up there.
491
00:30:39,631 --> 00:30:42,968
So, when it finally came,
it was almost a surprise to go.
492
00:30:45,846 --> 00:30:48,265
When you're out there and you're
actually on the launchpad,
493
00:30:48,307 --> 00:30:50,434
there's no way to simulate that.
494
00:30:53,979 --> 00:30:55,606
Your attention, please.
495
00:30:55,689 --> 00:30:59,276
On my mark,
we will pick up the count.
496
00:31:02,613 --> 00:31:04,781
More than 50,000 people
497
00:31:04,865 --> 00:31:07,201
watched from nearby Cocoa Beach.
498
00:31:07,284 --> 00:31:09,661
We reporters would watch
from the beaches then,
499
00:31:09,745 --> 00:31:11,788
because they wouldn't let us in.
500
00:31:11,872 --> 00:31:15,626
But we kept banging at the gates
and kicking at the fences.
501
00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:17,794
They said, "They're more
of a nuisance outside
502
00:31:17,878 --> 00:31:20,255
than they'll be on the inside,"
so they finally let us in.
503
00:31:20,339 --> 00:31:22,799
It was just the greatest place
in the world.
504
00:31:22,841 --> 00:31:25,719
100 million people
across America
505
00:31:25,802 --> 00:31:28,222
watched the countdown
live on television.
506
00:31:28,305 --> 00:31:30,641
T-Minus 15 minutes. Mark.
507
00:31:30,682 --> 00:31:35,521
When it came time to go,
the whole world was with me.
508
00:31:35,604 --> 00:31:40,150
All recorders to fast
T-Minus 18 seconds and counting.
509
00:31:40,192 --> 00:31:44,071
I was the communicator
for the countdown.
510
00:31:44,655 --> 00:31:47,825
I wanted to say something like,
"Bon voyage, buddy.
511
00:31:47,866 --> 00:31:49,284
Have a good time."
512
00:31:49,368 --> 00:31:55,207
And also enlist the aid
of our maker in protecting him.
513
00:32:02,047 --> 00:32:04,716
I was expecting
somebody to say "launch hold"
514
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:05,717
of some kind.
515
00:32:05,759 --> 00:32:09,847
4... 3... 2... 1... 0.
516
00:32:14,268 --> 00:32:16,228
I couldn't believe it.
517
00:32:26,780 --> 00:32:31,160
And the excitement of
John Glenn going into orbit --
518
00:32:31,243 --> 00:32:34,872
This was the adventure
of the 20th century.
519
00:32:36,373 --> 00:32:39,376
The moment when the final
Atlas engine will shut down,
520
00:32:39,459 --> 00:32:42,296
when F riendship 7 should
separate from the booster rocket
521
00:32:42,379 --> 00:32:44,089
and begin orbital flight.
522
00:32:59,479 --> 00:33:01,940
After all the dire
predictions of what might happen
523
00:33:02,024 --> 00:33:04,985
and how you might feel in space
in zero G,
524
00:33:05,068 --> 00:33:06,778
and there wasn't
any problem at all.
525
00:33:12,451 --> 00:33:14,161
Of course,
in the Mercury spacecraft,
526
00:33:14,244 --> 00:33:15,662
there wasn't anyplace
to float to.
527
00:33:15,746 --> 00:33:18,499
You were just in there. You're
in a cockpit and strapped in.
528
00:33:18,582 --> 00:33:20,459
The most you could do
would be loosen the straps
529
00:33:20,542 --> 00:33:22,753
to be a little more comfortable.
530
00:33:23,921 --> 00:33:26,507
But it was an elated feeling
of zero G
531
00:33:26,590 --> 00:33:28,091
and seeing how things work
532
00:33:28,133 --> 00:33:30,093
and seeing
whether you could swallow.
533
00:33:30,969 --> 00:33:34,932
Nothing prepares you for
the view as you look outside.
534
00:33:36,016 --> 00:33:39,645
You can see the curvature
of the Earth's surface
535
00:33:39,728 --> 00:33:42,481
and whole nations
just at a glance.
536
00:33:46,068 --> 00:33:48,195
As Glenn orbits the Earth,
537
00:33:48,278 --> 00:33:49,655
Mission Control follows him
538
00:33:49,696 --> 00:33:52,741
from one tracking station
to the next.
539
00:33:55,702 --> 00:33:57,788
I was at
a tracking station in Bermuda,
540
00:33:57,871 --> 00:34:00,040
and the tracking from the Cape
541
00:34:00,123 --> 00:34:01,834
was beginning to get
very marginal
542
00:34:01,875 --> 00:34:04,253
as the vehicle sunk down,
going over the horizon.
543
00:34:08,423 --> 00:34:10,425
And the tracking from Bermuda
was becoming
544
00:34:10,509 --> 00:34:12,803
an increasingly better location
545
00:34:12,845 --> 00:34:15,097
to measure the fact
that we were in orbit.
546
00:34:19,226 --> 00:34:21,979
It was fun. It was demanding,
but it was fun.
547
00:34:22,020 --> 00:34:23,438
We really enjoyed ourselves.
548
00:34:27,568 --> 00:34:29,153
Everything was going so well
549
00:34:29,236 --> 00:34:33,657
that it was beyond belief
that it could go that easily.
550
00:34:34,616 --> 00:34:36,869
But as Glenn completes
his first orbit,
551
00:34:36,910 --> 00:34:41,290
Mission Control confronts
its first crisis in space.
552
00:34:41,373 --> 00:34:45,210
The telemetry people
noticed a signal
553
00:34:45,294 --> 00:34:49,047
which was indicating that
the heat shield had come loose.
554
00:34:50,632 --> 00:34:51,967
It was very scary to me.
555
00:34:52,843 --> 00:34:55,012
If indeed
the heat shield was loose,
556
00:34:55,053 --> 00:34:59,683
during reentry, the spacecraft
would probably get very hot --
557
00:34:59,725 --> 00:35:02,477
temperatures of 3,000 degrees.
558
00:35:02,561 --> 00:35:05,439
The heat might burn off
the heat shield,
559
00:35:05,522 --> 00:35:07,399
and it would have killed him.
560
00:35:11,737 --> 00:35:16,617
We ran a few tests to see if
what we were seeing was correct.
561
00:35:16,700 --> 00:35:19,119
We began to ask him questions.
562
00:35:19,203 --> 00:35:21,663
Do I feel any bumping
or something like that?
563
00:35:21,747 --> 00:35:23,749
So it's quite obvious
they weren't telling me
564
00:35:23,832 --> 00:35:25,876
exactly what they were thinking
on the ground.
565
00:35:28,504 --> 00:35:30,589
If the problem is real,
566
00:35:30,672 --> 00:35:33,425
the straps for the retro-rockets
are the only thing
567
00:35:33,467 --> 00:35:36,011
holding the heat shield
in place.
568
00:35:53,362 --> 00:35:56,740
John didn't like not being told
569
00:35:56,782 --> 00:35:59,785
what was wrong with the machine
that he was flying.
570
00:35:59,827 --> 00:36:01,453
The reason we didn't was because
571
00:36:01,537 --> 00:36:03,288
there wasn't anything
he could do about it.
572
00:36:03,330 --> 00:36:05,165
I think the astronaut
needs to know
573
00:36:05,249 --> 00:36:06,500
everything they know
on the ground.
574
00:36:06,583 --> 00:36:08,043
If you lost communications,
575
00:36:08,126 --> 00:36:09,962
the astronaut should have
all the information.
576
00:36:11,088 --> 00:36:13,465
The engineers
quietly hope the straps hold
577
00:36:13,507 --> 00:36:16,468
until the capsule
hits denser air.
578
00:36:16,510 --> 00:36:20,180
Then the force of descent should
keep the heat shield in place.
579
00:36:27,896 --> 00:36:29,439
But when I first started reentry
580
00:36:29,481 --> 00:36:31,483
and the retro-rockets fired,
581
00:36:31,567 --> 00:36:33,443
the straps
that held that retropack
582
00:36:33,485 --> 00:36:37,114
onto the basic spacecraft itself
burned off.
583
00:36:37,197 --> 00:36:39,616
There were burning chunks
coming back by the window.
584
00:36:41,285 --> 00:36:42,995
Sort of a thump
on the spacecraft.
585
00:36:57,342 --> 00:36:58,719
During reentry,
586
00:36:58,802 --> 00:37:01,513
ionized plasma builds up
around the spacecraft,
587
00:37:01,597 --> 00:37:04,349
causing a radio blackout
for about three minutes.
588
00:37:05,851 --> 00:37:10,063
The world waits to hear
if John Glenn is dead or alive.
589
00:37:58,904 --> 00:38:00,781
The heat shield was not loose.
590
00:38:03,659 --> 00:38:08,664
It was a microswitch
malfunction.
591
00:38:18,298 --> 00:38:20,425
With Glenn's orbital flight,
592
00:38:20,509 --> 00:38:23,220
the U.S. finally catches up
to the Soviet Union.
593
00:38:26,348 --> 00:38:30,561
John Glenn instantly becomes one
of America's greatest heroes.
594
00:38:30,602 --> 00:38:32,437
We had been concentrated so much
595
00:38:32,479 --> 00:38:34,356
on this mission for so long,
596
00:38:34,439 --> 00:38:36,817
just didn't think much
about anything else.
597
00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:39,319
And then to have it over
was really a big relief.
598
00:38:40,821 --> 00:38:43,448
After John's flight,
we were all proud.
599
00:38:43,532 --> 00:38:45,075
I was proud of him.
600
00:38:45,159 --> 00:38:49,329
We were all proud of
the United States for doing it.
601
00:38:54,001 --> 00:38:55,377
It was proof positive
602
00:38:55,460 --> 00:38:58,922
that this country could compete
in the world of space flight
603
00:38:59,006 --> 00:39:02,217
and that the Russians, indeed,
were not ahead of us.
604
00:39:07,639 --> 00:39:09,266
Some months ago, I said
605
00:39:09,308 --> 00:39:13,687
that I hoped that every American
would serve his country.
606
00:39:13,770 --> 00:39:16,481
Today Colonel Glenn served his,
607
00:39:16,565 --> 00:39:18,609
and we all express our thanks
to him.
608
00:39:20,235 --> 00:39:23,447
We have a long way to go
in the space race,
609
00:39:23,489 --> 00:39:25,991
but this is the new ocean,
610
00:39:26,033 --> 00:39:29,620
and I believe the United States
must sail on it
611
00:39:29,703 --> 00:39:32,623
and be in a position
second to none.
612
00:39:35,292 --> 00:39:39,004
The U.S. is on track
to fulfill Kennedy's dream,
613
00:39:39,087 --> 00:39:42,591
yet orbital flight
is just one small step.
614
00:39:42,674 --> 00:39:47,387
Now NASA must begin to explore
the hostile territory of space.
615
00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:50,224
The reason you're going up there
616
00:39:50,307 --> 00:39:52,184
is not just to see
if you can do it.
617
00:39:52,267 --> 00:39:54,019
It's to do basic research.
618
00:39:57,272 --> 00:39:59,816
In his capsule, Aurora 7,
619
00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:02,319
Scott Carpenter will fly next.
620
00:40:02,361 --> 00:40:06,156
John's flight was
an experimental test flight.
621
00:40:06,198 --> 00:40:10,869
Mine was to be more
of a scientific investigation.
622
00:40:10,953 --> 00:40:14,206
There were
visibility experiments.
623
00:40:14,289 --> 00:40:18,710
There were capsule-maneuvering
tasks that were new.
624
00:40:18,752 --> 00:40:22,089
It was a very busy flight plan.
625
00:40:22,172 --> 00:40:23,757
Your attention, please.
626
00:40:23,841 --> 00:40:24,842
All personnel,
627
00:40:24,883 --> 00:40:28,345
please clear the test-stand area
to the roadblock.
628
00:40:28,428 --> 00:40:31,723
Aurora 7 blasts off
for three orbits of the Earth --
629
00:40:31,807 --> 00:40:33,725
nearly five hours in space.
630
00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:39,565
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0.
631
00:40:39,606 --> 00:40:41,191
Ignition.
632
00:41:11,430 --> 00:41:14,224
Scott Carpenter --
I call him a romanticist.
633
00:41:14,266 --> 00:41:17,519
He was interested
in the beauty of space --
634
00:41:17,603 --> 00:41:19,271
the sunrise and the sunset.
635
00:41:19,354 --> 00:41:20,981
Roger.
636
00:41:21,064 --> 00:41:24,234
I remember
just spinning a camera a little
637
00:41:24,318 --> 00:41:28,906
and letting it go
and watch it stay right there.
638
00:41:28,989 --> 00:41:34,912
That's an amazing sight --
the view and the weightlessness.
639
00:41:34,953 --> 00:41:37,289
Things do look different.
640
00:41:37,372 --> 00:41:40,125
The stars don't twinkle anymore.
641
00:41:40,209 --> 00:41:42,711
There's no atmosphere.
642
00:41:42,794 --> 00:41:45,422
It's an addictive sight.
643
00:41:46,548 --> 00:41:49,593
He was distracted many times
during the flight.
644
00:42:00,479 --> 00:42:02,105
For the first time,
645
00:42:02,147 --> 00:42:06,485
conflicts arise between the
astronaut and Mission Control.
646
00:42:07,569 --> 00:42:11,615
He kept using the fuel
in a cavalier fashion.
647
00:42:11,698 --> 00:42:14,243
He was maneuvering the
spacecraft to look here, there,
648
00:42:14,326 --> 00:42:17,663
and everywhere at sights
that he wanted to see.
649
00:42:18,330 --> 00:42:20,332
Frankly, I can understand that.
650
00:42:21,375 --> 00:42:26,296
There was a requirement
for me to expend more fuel
651
00:42:26,338 --> 00:42:30,300
because of the observations
I wanted to make.
652
00:42:32,469 --> 00:42:35,305
During the first
revolution, he used up the fuel
653
00:42:35,347 --> 00:42:38,725
in the automatic control system
almost completely.
654
00:42:39,852 --> 00:42:42,229
We told him
to stop using that system.
655
00:42:42,312 --> 00:42:43,981
He got to the manual system
656
00:42:44,022 --> 00:42:47,985
and used up all but about
10% or 20% of the manual fuel.
657
00:42:53,157 --> 00:42:56,869
Scott Carpenter
is running out of gas.
658
00:42:56,952 --> 00:42:59,830
When he came up on retrofire,
659
00:42:59,872 --> 00:43:03,333
the fuel had been
almost entirely depleted.
660
00:43:03,375 --> 00:43:05,544
I didn't have any fuel.
661
00:43:05,627 --> 00:43:07,629
The thrusters were not working.
662
00:43:08,797 --> 00:43:11,383
For reentry,
Carpenter has to manually
663
00:43:11,466 --> 00:43:17,055
turn the capsule 180 degrees
so the heat shield faces down.
664
00:43:17,139 --> 00:43:19,725
But he has another problem.
665
00:43:19,808 --> 00:43:23,061
An automatic attitude sensor,
used to align the capsule,
666
00:43:23,103 --> 00:43:26,982
is off by nearly 40 degrees...
667
00:43:27,065 --> 00:43:29,234
and only Carpenter knows it.
668
00:43:29,318 --> 00:43:31,153
He did not tell us that,
669
00:43:31,236 --> 00:43:34,156
and we had no way of knowing
on the ground
670
00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:36,366
there was this bias there.
671
00:43:36,408 --> 00:43:40,829
Now he's got to fire
the retro-rockets manually.
672
00:43:49,421 --> 00:43:51,048
Roger.
673
00:43:52,883 --> 00:43:57,763
With a faulty sensor,
Carpenter's already off-target.
674
00:43:57,846 --> 00:43:59,556
If he's not
positioned perfectly,
675
00:43:59,598 --> 00:44:02,768
the heat shield down,
the capsule will burn up.
676
00:44:02,851 --> 00:44:05,896
You subject
the capsule to heating,
677
00:44:05,938 --> 00:44:09,858
and that could be
catastrophic -- fatal.
678
00:44:09,942 --> 00:44:14,822
4... 3... 2... 1... 0.
679
00:44:28,126 --> 00:44:30,587
Mission Control
loses contact with Carpenter
680
00:44:30,671 --> 00:44:32,756
during the radio blackout.
681
00:44:39,930 --> 00:44:42,140
Three minutes later, nothing.
682
00:44:43,809 --> 00:44:46,812
Aurora 7, Aurora 7,
Cape Cap Com, over.
683
00:44:51,316 --> 00:44:54,778
Aurora 7, Aurora 7,
Cape Cap Com, over.
684
00:44:56,196 --> 00:44:57,865
After 40 minutes,
685
00:44:57,948 --> 00:45:01,034
still not a word
from Scott Carpenter.
686
00:45:06,290 --> 00:45:08,250
The press is already speculating
687
00:45:08,333 --> 00:45:10,919
that NASA has lost
its first astronaut.
688
00:45:12,421 --> 00:45:16,049
Aurora 7, Aurora 7,
Cape Cap Com, over.
689
00:45:19,553 --> 00:45:22,848
Aurora 7, Aurora 7,
Cape Cap Com, over.
690
00:45:39,364 --> 00:45:41,200
Finally,
reconnaissance flights
691
00:45:41,283 --> 00:45:44,578
locate Carpenter
250 miles off-target.
692
00:45:45,704 --> 00:45:48,540
Nobody knew
where I was after my flight,
693
00:45:48,624 --> 00:45:50,709
but I knew exactly where I was.
694
00:45:54,087 --> 00:45:58,050
Carpenter floats
in the Atlantic for three hours.
695
00:46:03,055 --> 00:46:06,892
Nothing worked
exactly the way it should have,
696
00:46:06,934 --> 00:46:10,687
but we brought back some
interesting, new information
697
00:46:10,729 --> 00:46:12,564
in space flight.
698
00:46:12,606 --> 00:46:14,358
Scott Carpenter achieves
699
00:46:14,399 --> 00:46:16,235
all his mission objectives,
700
00:46:16,318 --> 00:46:19,863
yet flight controllers think
many of the problems he faced
701
00:46:19,905 --> 00:46:21,865
could have been avoided.
702
00:46:29,957 --> 00:46:33,836
Five months later,
Wally Schirra flies six orbits.
703
00:46:35,462 --> 00:46:39,049
Then Gordo Cooper
circles the Earth 22 times
704
00:46:39,132 --> 00:46:40,968
over a day and a half.
705
00:46:45,430 --> 00:46:49,268
Cooper becomes the first
American to sleep in space
706
00:46:49,309 --> 00:46:52,771
and the last to orbit solo
around the Earth.
707
00:46:58,443 --> 00:47:01,905
As Project Mercury
comes to an end,
708
00:47:01,989 --> 00:47:05,784
Project Gemini is already
preparing to blast off again
709
00:47:05,826 --> 00:47:10,539
with a bold, new goal for
America's exploration of space.
710
00:47:12,457 --> 00:47:15,502
We choose to go to the moon!
711
00:47:15,586 --> 00:47:18,255
We choose to go to the moon
in this decade
712
00:47:18,297 --> 00:47:21,633
and do the other things,
not because they are easy
713
00:47:21,675 --> 00:47:24,428
but because they are hard.
714
00:47:27,264 --> 00:47:29,766
The Mercury program
was the most challenging
715
00:47:29,808 --> 00:47:32,686
of all the work
that we've ever done in space.
716
00:47:32,769 --> 00:47:34,646
To a great extent,
the Mercury astronauts
717
00:47:34,688 --> 00:47:37,024
were literally flying
by the seat of their pants.
718
00:47:38,484 --> 00:47:40,736
There's nothing I think
could prepare us
719
00:47:40,819 --> 00:47:42,779
for that kind of an experience.
720
00:47:44,114 --> 00:47:46,074
I've been very fortunate.
721
00:47:47,451 --> 00:47:50,037
We were all for one,
and one for all.
722
00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:51,663
The Mercury astronauts
723
00:47:51,747 --> 00:47:56,126
took the first heroic steps
into a new frontier.
724
00:48:02,341 --> 00:48:05,677
At the dawn of the space age,
725
00:48:05,761 --> 00:48:07,804
Project Mercury
lays the foundation
726
00:48:07,846 --> 00:48:10,516
for the great adventure to come.
56774
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