Carpenter (original) (raw)

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Carpenter, Malcolm Scott

American test pilot astronaut 1959-1967.

Status: Deceased; Active 1959-1967. Born: 1925-05-01. Died: 2013-10-10. Spaceflights: 1 . Total time in space: 0.21 days. Birth Place: Boulder, Colorado.

Educated Colorado; Patuxent.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016: SCOTT CARPENTER NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)

Scott Carpenter, a dynamic pioneer of modern exploration, had the unique distinction of being the first human ever to penetrate both inner and outer space, thereby acquiring the dual title, Astronaut/Aquanaut.

Born in Boulder, Colorado, on May 1, 1925, and died on October 10, 2013.

Carpenter was the son of research chemist Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Florence Kelso Noxon Carpenter. He attended the University of Colorado from 1945 to 1949 and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

Commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1949, he was given flight training at Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas and designated a Naval Aviator in April, 1951. During the Korean War, he served with patrol Squadron Six, flying antisubmarine, ship surveillance, aerial mining and ferret missions in the Yellow Sea, South China Sea, and the Formosa Straits. He attended the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1954 and was subsequently assigned to the Electronics Test Division of the Naval Air Test Center, also at Patuxent. In that assignment, he flew tests in every type of naval aircraft, including multi- and single-engine jet and propeller-driven fighters, attack planes, patrol bombers, transports and seaplanes.

From 1957 to 1959, he attended the Navy General Line School and the Navy Air Intelligence School and was then assigned as Air Intelligence Officer to the Aircraft Carrier, USS Hornet.

Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts on April 9, 1959. He underwent intensive training with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), specializing in communication and navigation. He served as backup pilot for John Glenn during the preparation for America's first manned orbital space flight in February 1962.

Carpenter flew the second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. He piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles. The spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 1000 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral after 4 hours and 54 minutes of flight time.

On leave of absence from NASA, Carpenter participated in the Navy's Man-in-the-Sea Project as an Aquanaut in the SEALAB II program off the coast of La Jolla, California, in the summer of 1965. During the 45-day experiment, Carpenter spent 30 days living and working on the ocean floor. He was team leader for two of the three 10-man teams of Navy and civilian divers who conducted deep-sea diving activities in a seafloor habitat at a depth of 205 feet.

He returned to duties with NASA as Executive Assistant to the Director of the Manned Spaceflight Center and was active in the design of the Apollo Lunar Landing Module and in underwater Extravehicular Activity (EVA) crew training.

In 1967, he returned to the Navy's Deep Submergence Systems Project (DSSP) as Director of Aquanaut Operations during the SEALAB III experiment. (The DSSP office was responsible for directing the Navy's Saturation Diving Program, which included development of deep-ocean search, rescue, salvage, ocean engineering and Man-in-the-Sea capabilities.)

Upon retirement from the Navy in 1969, after 25 years of service, Carpenter founded and was Chief Executive Officer of Sear Sciences, Inc., a venture capital corporation active in developing programs aimed at enhanced utilization of ocean resources and improved health of the planet. In pursuit of these and other objectives, he worked closely with the French oceanographer J.Y. Cousteau and members of his Calypso team. Carpenter dove in most of the world's oceans, including the Arctic under ice.

As a consultant to sport and professional diving equipment manufacturers, he contributed to design improvements in diving instruments, underwater breathing equipment, swimmer propulsion units, small submersibles and other underwater devices.

Additional projects brought to fruition by his innovative guidance involved biological pest control and the production of energy from agricultural and industrial waste. He was also instrumental in the design and improvement of several types of waste handling and waste-transfer equipment.

Carpenter continued to apply his knowledge of aerospace and ocean engineering as a consultant to industry and the private sector. He lectured frequently in the U.S. and abroad on the history and future of ocean and space technology, the impact of scientific and technological advance on human affairs and man's continuing search for excellence. An avid skier, he spent much of his free time on the slopes in his home of Vail, Colorado.

He appeared as television spokesman for many major corporations, including General Motors (Oldsmobile), standard Oil of California, Nintendo and Atari; and has hosted and narrated a number of television documentaries. He also served as actor/consultant to the film industry in the fields of space flight, oceanography and the global environment.

Carpenter authored two novels, both dubbed ��underwater techno-thrillers.�� The first was entitled The Steel Albatross. The second, a sequel, was called Deep Flight. His memoir, For Spacious Skies, which he co-authored with his daughter, Kristen Stoever, was published by Harcourt in January 2003.

Carpenter's awards include the Navy's Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, U.S. Navy Astronaut Wings, the University of Colorado Recognition Medal, the Collier Trophy, the New York City Gold Medal of Honor, the Elisha Kent Kane Medal, the Ustica Gold Trident and the Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo. He was awarded seven honorary degrees.

OCTOBER 2013

This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought from the above named individual's family.

Official NASA Biography

NAME: Scott Carpenter

Scott Carpenter, a dynamic pioneer of modern exploration, has the unique distinction of being the only human ever to penetrate both outer and inner space, thereby acquiring the dual title, astronaut/aquanaut.

He was born in Boulder, Colorado, on May 1, 1925, the son of Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Mrs. (Florence Kelso Noxon) Carpenter. He attended the University of Colorado and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

Carpenter entered the U.S. Navy in 1949 and received flight training at Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas. During the Korean War, he served in Patrol Squadron SIX, flying anti-submarine, ship surveillance, and aerial mining missions in the Yellow Sea, South China Sea, and the Formosa Straits.

He attended the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1954 and subsequently was assigned to the Electronics Test Division of the Naval Air Test Center. In that assignment he flew tests in a variety of naval aircraft including multi and single engine jet and propeller driven fighters, attack planes, patrol bombers, transports, and seaplanes.

In 1957-1958, he attended the Navy General Line School and the Navy Air Intelligence School and was assigned as Air Intelligence Officer to the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. HORNET.

Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven U.S. Astronauts on April 9, 1959. He underwent intensive training with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, specializing in the fields of communication and navigation. He served as backup pilot for John Glenn during the preparation for America's first manned orbital flight.

Carpenter flew the second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. He piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles. The spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,000 miles southeast of Cape Kennedy after 4 hours and 54 minutes of flight time.

On a leave of absence from NASA, Carpenter participated in the Navy's Man-in-the-Sea Program as an Aquanaut in the SEALAB II experiment off the coast of La Jolla, California. During the experiment, conducted during the summer of 1965, Carpenter spent 30 days living and working on the ocean floor. He was team leader for two of the three teams of Navy men and civilians who lived at a depth of 204 feet during the 45-day experiment.

He returned to duties with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration until August 10, 1967, when he returned to the Navy's Deep Submergence Systems Project as Assistant for Aquanaut Operations during the SEALAB III experiment. (The Deep Submergence Systems Project was responsible for developing deep ocean search, rescue, salvage, ocean engineering and Man-in-the- Sea capabilities, and directed the Navy's Saturation Diving Program.)

Carpenter's awards include, among others, The Legion of Merit, The Distinguished Flying Cross, The NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Astronaut Wings, University of Colorado Recognition Medal, The Collier Trophy, The New York City Gold Medal of Honor, The Elisha Kent Kane Medal, The Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo, and The Numismatica Italiana Award.

Since retirement from the Navy in 1969, Carpenter has made his home in Los Angeles, and continues to apply his knowledge of aerospace and ocean engineering technology to the private sector. He is married to the former Maria Roach, daughter of pioneer film producer, Hal Roach, and they have two sons, Matthew Scott and Nicholas Andre.

More at: Carpenter.

Family: Astronaut. Country: USA. Spacecraft: Mercury. Flights: Mercury MA-6, Mercury MA-7. Agency: USN. Bibliography: 12, 5239.

1925 May 1 - .

Birth of Malcolm Scott Carpenter - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Carpenter. American test pilot astronaut 1959-1967. 1 spaceflight, 4.9 hours in space. Flew to orbit on Mercury 7 (1962). Left NASA under a cloud after running out of propellant on his mission and splashing down 'way down range..

1959 April 2 - .

NASA Astronaut Training Group 1 selected. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard, Slayton.
The group was selected to provide six pilots for the single-crew Mercury manned spacecraft. Originally a wide pool of candidates was going to be considered, but in December 1958 President Eisenhower ruled that military test pilots would form the candidate pool.. Qualifications: Qualified jet pilot with minimum 1,500 flight-hours/10 years experience, graduate of test pilot school, bachelor's degree or equivalent, under 40 years old, under 180 cm height, excellent physical condition.. Screening of military service records showed 110 military officers that met these criteria. These 110 were to be called in three groups for briefings on the Mercury program. Of the first two groups of 35 called, 56 volunteered for further physical and psychiatric tests. This provided enough candidates and the third group was never even called for a briefing or asked if they would like to volunteer. Of the 56 tested, seven were finally selected (no objective way was found to reduce the seven finalists to six).
Of the seven astronauts, all eventually flew in space. Grounded due to a heart murmur, Slayton had to wait 16 years for his flight aboard the last Apollo mission. Glenn left for a career in politics after becoming the first American to orbit the earth, but returned to space aboard a shuttle over 36 years later in a NASA publicity stunt. Schirra was the only astronaut to fly aboard Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft. Shepard was the only one to reach the lunar surface (after being grounded for a medical condition during the Gemini program). Grissom would die in the Apollo 204 ground fire.

1959 April 2 - .

Seven astronauts selected for Mercury project. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard, Slayton. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Spacecraft: Mercury.
Seven astronauts were selected for Project Mercury after a series of the most rigorous physical and mental tests ever given to U.S. test pilots. Chosen from a field of 110 candidates, the finalists were all qualified test pilots: Capts. Leroy G. Cooper, Jr., Virgil I. Grissom, and Donald K. Slayton, (USAF); Lt. Malcolm S. Carpenter, Lt. Comdr. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Lt. Comdr. Watler M. Schirra, Jr. (USN); and Lt. Col. John H. Glenn (USMC).

1961 November 29 - .

Glenn selected for the first Mercury manned orbital flight. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Carpenter, Glenn. Spacecraft: Mercury.
Astronaut John Glenn was selected as the pilot for the first Mercury manned orbital flight, with Scott Carpenter as backup pilot. Immediately, training was started to ready these two astronauts for the mission. The five remaining astronauts concentrated their efforts on various engineering and operational groups of the Manned Spacecraft Center in preparation for the mission.

1962 February 20 - . 14:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC14. LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas D.

Mercury MA-6 - . Call Sign: Friendship 7. Crew: Glenn. Backup Crew: Carpenter. Payload: Mercury SC13. Mass: 1,355 kg (2,987 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Mercury MA-6. Spacecraft: Mercury. Duration: 0.21 days. Decay Date: 1962-02-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 240 . COSPAR: 1962-Gamma-1. Apogee: 265 km (164 mi). Perigee: 159 km (98 mi). Inclination: 32.50 deg. Period: 88.60 min.
The 6555th Aerospace Test Wing launched the Mercury/Atlas D (MA-6), "Friendship 7," that placed the Mercury capsule containing LtColonel John Glenn, USMC, into orbit for the first Project Mercury manned orbital flight. "Friendship 7" completed three orbits before successful reentry and recovery in the Atlantic Ocean. First US manned orbital mission. John Glenn finally puts America in orbit. False landing bag deploy light led to reentry being started with retropack left in place on heat shield. It turned out that indicator light was false and a spectacular reentry ensued, with glowing chunks of the retropack whizzing by the window. After four hours and 43 minutes the spacecraft reentered the atmosphere and landed at 2:43 pm EST in the planned recovery area NE of the Island of Puerto Rico. All flight objectives were achieved. Glenn was reported to be in excellent condition. Beause of failure of one of the automatic systems, the astronaut took over manual control of the spacecraft during part of the flight. With this flight, the basic objectives of Project Mercury had been achieved.

1962 May 24 - . 12:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC14. LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas D.

Mercury MA-7 - . Call Sign: Aurora 7. Crew: Carpenter. Backup Crew: Schirra. Payload: Mercury SC18. Mass: 1,349 kg (2,974 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Mercury MA-7. Spacecraft: Mercury. Duration: 0.21 days. Decay Date: 1962-05-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 295 . COSPAR: 1962-Tau-1. Apogee: 260 km (160 mi). Perigee: 154 km (95 mi). Inclination: 32.50 deg. Period: 88.50 min.
BSD's 6555th Aerospace Test Wing launched Mercury/Atlas 7 (MA-7), "Aurora 7", into orbit carrying Navy Commander M. Scott Carpenter. This was the second U.S. manned orbital flight mission. Scott Carpenter in Aurora 7 is enthralled by his environment but uses too much orientation fuel. Yaw error and late retrofire caused the landing impact point to be over 300 km beyond the intended area and beyond radio range of the recovery forces. Landing occurred 4 hours and 56 minutes after liftoff. Astronaut Carpenter was later picked up safely by a helicopter after a long wait in the ocean and fears for his safety. NASA was not impressed and Carpenter left the agency soon thereafter to become an aquanaut.

1962 May 27 - .

Carpenter and Williams awarded NASA Distinguished Service Medal - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Carpenter. Spacecraft: Mercury. Scott Carpenter and Walter C. Williams were awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal by James Webb, NASA Administrator, in a ceremony at Cape Canaveral..

1962 June 25 - .

Carpenter received Astronaut Wings - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Carpenter. Spacecraft: Mercury. Scott Carpenter was the fourth individual of Project Mercury to be presented Astronaut Wings by his respective service..

1963 January 26 - .

New assignments for the seven original astronauts - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Armstrong, Borman, Carpenter, Conrad, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Lovell, McDivitt, Schirra, See, Shepard, Slayton, Stafford, White, Young. Program: Apollo. Spacecraft: Gemini.
MSC announced new assignments for the seven original astronauts: L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., and Alan B. Shepard, Jr., would be responsible for the remaining pilot phases of Project Mercury; Virgil I. Grissom would specialize in Project Gemini; John H. Glenn, Jr., would concentrate on Project Apollo; M. Scott Carpenter would cover lunar excursion training; and Walter M. Schirra, Jr., would be responsible for Gemini and Apollo operations and training. As Coordinator for Astronaut Activities, Donald K. Slayton would maintain overall supervision of astronaut duties.
Specialty areas for the second generation were: trainers and simulators, Neil A. Armstrong; boosters, Frank Borman; cockpit layout and systems integration, Charles Conrad, Jr.; recovery system, James A. Lovell, Jr.; guidance and navigation, James A. McDivitt; electrical, sequential, and mission planning, Elliot M. See, Jr.; communications, instrumentation, and range integration, Thomas P. Stafford; flight control systems, Edward H. White II; and environmental control systems, personal equipment, and survival equipment, John W. Young.

1963 May 6 - .

Apollo LEM manual control simulated - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Armstrong, Carpenter, Conrad, McDivitt, Schirra, See, White, Young. Program: Apollo. Spacecraft: Apollo LM, CSM Guidance, LM Simulator.
Astronauts M. Scott Carpenter, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Neil A. Armstrong, James A. McDivitt, Elliot M. See, Jr., Edward H. White II, Charles Conrad, Jr., and John W. Young participated in a study in LTV's Manned Space Flight Simulator at Dallas, Tex. Under an MSC contract, LTV was studying the astronauts' ability to control the LEM manually and to rendezvous with the CM if the primary guidance system failed during descent.

2013 October 10 - .

Death of Malcolm Scott Carpenter. - . Related Persons: Carpenter. American test pilot astronaut 1959-1967. 1 spaceflight, 4.9 hours in space. Flew to orbit on Mercury 7 (1962)..

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