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Official Space Nerd |
So, I was watching (again) the OUTSTANDING documentary "When We Left Earth." It covers Mercury-Gemini-Apollo-Skylab-STS, and is required viewing (IMO) for anybody interested in our space program. Alan Shepard was the first American, and the second person to travel in space. However, most Americans don't even know who Shepard was, and instead hype up John Glenn. This never made sense to me. Glenn was the first person to *orbit* Earth, but was only the third American in space. Does anybody know why this is so? Did Glenn just have better press, for whatever reason? Did NASA push Glenn as their poster boy, since they wanted to look like they weren't losing the space race (Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space AND the first human to orbit on his flight, so they pushed Glenn into the spotlight)? Most people know Neil Armstrong and MAYBE Buzz Aldrin as the first Americans to walk on the moon. Most Americans couldn't name any of the other 12 astronauts to moon walk. It seems that the 'first' people get all the press, so why is it more important to be *first* to orbit instead of being *first* to fly into space. . . ? Fear God and Dread Nought Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jacky Fisher | ||
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Delusions of Adequacy |
It's a damn shame. And he WAS the first to hit a golf ball on the moon! My mom propped me up in front of the TV to watch his launch. He was from our neck of the woods,. I have my own style of humor. I call it Snarkasm. | |||
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Legalize the Constitution |
Shepard, and ALL the Mercury astronauts, was a hero to me. I think those of us who are Boomers know very well who Shepard is and what he did. I think an orbital flight was a big deal. The first two shots went up and came back down, Glenn's 3 orbits (that's from memory) was bigger news, and that's all. Again from memory...was it Scott Carpenter that went up after Shepard? _______________________________________________________ despite them | |||
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always with a hat or sunscreen |
I'm with TMats. "We Seven" sits on my bookshelf and pays homage to them all. Shepard's grin is forever in my memory of those pioneers. Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club! USN (RET), COTEP #192 | |||
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Member |
The Right Stuff. Everyone should watch it, since the young can only read in 120 characters, or whatever it is. NRA Life Member "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt | |||
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Corgis Rock |
As memory serves, NASA had planned a number of suborbital flights. Politics caused then to skip to an orbital flight. Glenn was just next in the rotation. Previously Glenn had several high publicity events. He established a cross country speed record and appeared on "Name that tune." When the astronauts were at a press conference a reported asked for a show of hands of who wanted to be the first in space. Glenn held up both hands. The USSR had started with an orbital flight. In "The Right Stuff" Frank Wolfe compared it to Linbergh taking a hop around Long Island while a rival flew first to Paris, then on to Moscow. Shepherd and Grissom were pilots but didnt have Glenn's charisma. That, plus the first orbital flight got the attention. “ The work of destruction is quick, easy and exhilarating; the work of creation is slow, laborious and dull. | |||
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| Official Space Nerd |
Shepard Grissom Glenn Carpenter Schirra Cooper In that order. The only one of the Mercury 7 that didn't fly on a Mercury mission was Deke Slayton. He was grounded by a heart condition, but then was cleared to fly later. He took part in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...93Soyuz_Test_Project Fear God and Dread Nought Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jacky Fisher | |||
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| Official Space Nerd |
It is a good movie, but is SERIOUSLY flawed in one major way - they blame Gus Grissom for the loss of his capsule. He is portrayed as a bumbling idiot, saying over and over again (unconvincingly) that the hatch 'just blew.' After his actor left the room, 'experts' conclude that the hatch could not 'just blow.' He is treated like an outcast for the rest of the movie. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Grissom's capsule was lost due to a malfunctioning hatch that 'just blew,' allowing water in the capsule. By the time the helo hooked up to it, too much water had entered, weighing the capsule down past the weight limit of the recovery chopper. The capsule was lost, and was only recovered several years ago. There is conclusive evidence, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Grissom did nothing wrong. Besides, the astronaut corps was the most competitive occupation in the world. Grissom went on to be a key designer of the Gemini capsule (it was nick-named "Gus Grissom's Go Buggy"). He went on to fly a Gemini mission, and was slated for the first Apollo mission (ending in tragedy in the Apollo 1 fire). Had he lived, Gus Grissom would have been the first man to walk on the moon. He was NOT a screw-up, and it enrages me that the movie took such a cheap-shot against an American hero that is not around to defend himself. Fear God and Dread Nought Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jacky Fisher | |||
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Essayons |
One contributing factor to Glenn's larger, more enduring fame is the fact that in later life he had the DNC publicity machine working for him, too. That kept his name in the papers and on the nightly news in a way that no other astronaut's name was. Thanks, Sap | |||
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| Member |
Hound Dog, thanks for the information about Gus Grissom. I like the movie "The Right Stuff", but I like the truth even more. Very disappointing that Hollywood felt they had to smear a good man's reputation. | |||
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Member |
Thank you for that. I loved the movie, but I always thought they kind of gave him the shaft. "The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." "Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." "I did," said Ford, "it is." "So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?" "It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want." "You mean they actually vote for the lizards." "Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in." | |||
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| Jack of All Trades, Master of Nothing  |
My mother in law worked for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini programs. Every now and then I can get her to tell some stories. One thing she has repeatedly said was Glenn was the leader of the Mercury 7. My daughter can deflate your daughter's soccer ball. | |||
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