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Article: Scott Carpenter's memoirs recall early days of space program
- Article from:
- Post-Tribune (IN)
- Article date:
- April 13, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (c) 2003 Post-Tribune. (Hide copyright information)
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THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM PRINTED VERSION
The disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1 again showed the world the dangers of space flight, something the seven members of the Mercury astronaut corps understood every day.
As America's fourth man in space aboard Aurora 7, Scott Carpenter was one of those seven, an experience he recounts in "For Spacious Skies," a sad, affecting and sometimes odd memoir.
Anyone who has read Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" knows the demands on the Mercury 7, the cream of the U.S. military test pilot program who carried the hopes of a nervous nation at the beginning of the space race.
While undeniably brave and accomplished, ...