Read Online Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight by Jay Barbree - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jay Barbree
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metal straps. This would separate the retropack from the spacecraft’s heat shield.
But what if you did not send the signal to break the metal straps? Would this not in turn hold the heat shield snuggly in place?
Flight controllers bought the plan. They had to do something to keep the first American to orbit Earth from returning as ashes.
John Glenn could see Florida and Mercury Control dead ahead. (Composite photographs, NASA)
Once back over the Cape and Mercury Control, Alan Shepard was Glenn’s capsule communicator and he gave the whole explanation to John for retaining the retropack. The marine understood the decision and told Alan Shepard to pass on his thanks.
“Roger, John,” Shepard told him. “Hang tight, Marine. Navy has your back.”
Friendship 7 and John Glenn raced around Earth on their final orbit, and when Friendship 7 reached the California coast, the three retro-rockets fired. Glenn felt a triple thud and reported, “I feel like I’m going back to Hawaii.”
Instantly, Glenn could sense the heat buildup. Friendship 7 swayed. There was a bang behind him: part of the retropack breaking away. He called the Texas station. They couldn’t hear him. He was plowing through an envelope of superhot ionized air. No signals could leave his spaceship. None could come in. All John Glenn could do was hold tight.
John Glenn rides through the life-threatening heat of reentry. (NASA)
America’s first in orbit was cocooned inside a growing fireball. Glenn stared out his window at the flames devouring his ship. A strap from the retropack was burning freely, hammering against his porthole’s glass. It burst into fire along with more flaming chunks that whirled away into space.
Then, he felt gravity forces building. He could have hugged them. That meant it was all holding together. He called Alan Shepard. He was feeling great, but there was no way to get through the ions. Not yet.
The heat shield on John Glenn’s back was staying put. It was 4,000 degrees outside—toasty and comfortable inside. He now could smile.
* * *
In Mercury Control all listened intently as Alan Shepard continually called John Glenn. No response. He just couldn’t get through. Notre Dame engineer Bob Harrington stood behind Alan Shepard, pleading, “Keep calling, Alan.”
“ Friendship 7 , this is the Cape. How do you read? Over.”
As instantly as they had come, the ions were gone and Shepard’s call finally reached the Mercury capsule.
Glenn’s reply was a simple mike check. “Loud and clear, Cape. How me?”
“Roger,” Shepard acknowledged. “Reading you loud and clear. How’re you doing?”
“Oh, pretty good,” Glenn replied, “but that was a real fireball, boy!”
Mercury Control broke out in cheers and handshakes, and Harrington broke out with the Notre Dame fight song.
There was dancing in the aisles, but only for a moment. They had an astronaut and a spacecraft to land. Friendship 7 , the little champ that it was, landed perfectly on waters near its recovery ship, Noa .
John Glenn gives President Kennedy a tour of his Cape launch site. (The White House)
John Glenn had returned a hero of Charles Lindbergh’s stature. He had lassoed a share of the Russian lead, and President John Kennedy met him at his Florida launch site.
John Glenn receives a hero’s welcome with a ticker-tape parade in New York City. (NASA)
When Glenn reached New York City, four million screaming, cheering people showered him, his wife Annie, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson with a tumultuous ovation, plus a hero’s traditional ticker-tape parade.
* * *
Neil Armstrong leaned back in his chair. His low spirits from his daughter Karen Anne’s death were lifted somewhat by Glenn’s success. John, he thought, had taken another major stride needed for America to reach the moon. Neil was now certain that he wanted to be part of possibly history’s greatest journey. He would, of course, continue to fly his
But what if you did not send the signal to break the metal straps? Would this not in turn hold the heat shield snuggly in place?
Flight controllers bought the plan. They had to do something to keep the first American to orbit Earth from returning as ashes.
John Glenn could see Florida and Mercury Control dead ahead. (Composite photographs, NASA)
Once back over the Cape and Mercury Control, Alan Shepard was Glenn’s capsule communicator and he gave the whole explanation to John for retaining the retropack. The marine understood the decision and told Alan Shepard to pass on his thanks.
“Roger, John,” Shepard told him. “Hang tight, Marine. Navy has your back.”
Friendship 7 and John Glenn raced around Earth on their final orbit, and when Friendship 7 reached the California coast, the three retro-rockets fired. Glenn felt a triple thud and reported, “I feel like I’m going back to Hawaii.”
Instantly, Glenn could sense the heat buildup. Friendship 7 swayed. There was a bang behind him: part of the retropack breaking away. He called the Texas station. They couldn’t hear him. He was plowing through an envelope of superhot ionized air. No signals could leave his spaceship. None could come in. All John Glenn could do was hold tight.
John Glenn rides through the life-threatening heat of reentry. (NASA)
America’s first in orbit was cocooned inside a growing fireball. Glenn stared out his window at the flames devouring his ship. A strap from the retropack was burning freely, hammering against his porthole’s glass. It burst into fire along with more flaming chunks that whirled away into space.
Then, he felt gravity forces building. He could have hugged them. That meant it was all holding together. He called Alan Shepard. He was feeling great, but there was no way to get through the ions. Not yet.
The heat shield on John Glenn’s back was staying put. It was 4,000 degrees outside—toasty and comfortable inside. He now could smile.
* * *
In Mercury Control all listened intently as Alan Shepard continually called John Glenn. No response. He just couldn’t get through. Notre Dame engineer Bob Harrington stood behind Alan Shepard, pleading, “Keep calling, Alan.”
“ Friendship 7 , this is the Cape. How do you read? Over.”
As instantly as they had come, the ions were gone and Shepard’s call finally reached the Mercury capsule.
Glenn’s reply was a simple mike check. “Loud and clear, Cape. How me?”
“Roger,” Shepard acknowledged. “Reading you loud and clear. How’re you doing?”
“Oh, pretty good,” Glenn replied, “but that was a real fireball, boy!”
Mercury Control broke out in cheers and handshakes, and Harrington broke out with the Notre Dame fight song.
There was dancing in the aisles, but only for a moment. They had an astronaut and a spacecraft to land. Friendship 7 , the little champ that it was, landed perfectly on waters near its recovery ship, Noa .
John Glenn gives President Kennedy a tour of his Cape launch site. (The White House)
John Glenn had returned a hero of Charles Lindbergh’s stature. He had lassoed a share of the Russian lead, and President John Kennedy met him at his Florida launch site.
John Glenn receives a hero’s welcome with a ticker-tape parade in New York City. (NASA)
When Glenn reached New York City, four million screaming, cheering people showered him, his wife Annie, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson with a tumultuous ovation, plus a hero’s traditional ticker-tape parade.
* * *
Neil Armstrong leaned back in his chair. His low spirits from his daughter Karen Anne’s death were lifted somewhat by Glenn’s success. John, he thought, had taken another major stride needed for America to reach the moon. Neil was now certain that he wanted to be part of possibly history’s greatest journey. He would, of course, continue to fly his
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