Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter has died

He recently had a stroke and it looked like he was recovering, but now comes word that he has died.

Carpenter stepped forward to fly into space when there were still fearsome dragons out there. Imagined hazards were mechanical [exploding rockets], physical [meteor strikes], physiological [hearts bursting], psychological [total mental disorientation], and the lurking secret threats of the deep unknown. He and his associates put their fannies on the rockets anyway.

His flight showed that John Glenn's three orbits a few months earlier had not been a quirk, and that longer and longer flights were possible. When astronauts head off on year-long expeditions and longer, they will be continuing the process that Carpenter's flight cleared.

Historical records-keeping would set him into the statistical slot of the American with the shortest total orbital flight time, and he and others were disappointed he never had the chance for longer missions.

He was astonished by the experience of spaceflight, and even decades later just to sit near him was to feel his soul still broadcasting that astonishment , to hear the tone of his voice still vibrating with that awesomeness he had felt, to see the gleam of his eyes still radiating the spark of spaceflight.

But during those few hours he did fly, he soaked up the taste of the rest of the Universe, and came back to share it.

photo of us together:
www.jamesoberg.com... [higher-res available on request]

His death leaves John Glenn as the sole survivor of the original seven.

I wish they'd stop naming shuttles and missions after planets they have no intention of actually reaching. I had to look it up just to be sure there wasn't a manned flight to Mercury I'd been unaware of.

RIP Mr Carpenter, and thank you for your courage and service to us all.

Very nice post in tribute to a great man. Well done sir.

Now may you be among the Stars Forever...
May the Universe place you among those most daring and may you shine on.

Always sad to hear news of the passing of a hero.

I stayed home from school to watch Scott Carpenter get launched into orbit (& into history), as I did throughout the Mercury program for each launch. It took quite a taste for adventure & a great deal of courage & faith, to climb into one of those cramped little Mercury capsules, to do some trial-and-error space flight!

Godspeed, Sir. You have passed from being living history to being a part of human history who will not be forgotten.

reply to post by JimOberg


Ah, that pesky John Glenn. He just had to outlive them all, it's in his nature.

Too bad Scott Carpenter didn't get to fly into space again, even in his older age.

I'm very sorry to hear that.

Instead of a space capsule, he's soaring through the stars on the wings of angels.

Godspeed, good sir, godspeed. The fallen astronauts, and cosmonauts are all flying with you.