Scott Carpenter, 1925–2013

The astronaut who sought immortality

When Scott Carpenter’s capsule splashed down in the Caribbean on May 24, 1962, NASA didn’t know if the astronaut was alive or dead. The craft had been low on fuel as it re-entered the atmosphere, and a key instrument that indicated which way the capsule was pointing had malfunctioned. NASA’s mission control told Carpenter he would overshoot his landing zone by more than 250 miles, and then abruptly lost radio contact. Veteran broadcaster Walter Cronkite solemnly reported on CBS News that America may have “lost an astronaut.” But as it turned out, there was no need for panic. Carpenter, always cool under pressure—his heart rate never went above 105 during his almost five-hour spaceflight—had taken manual control of the craft and landed safely in the waters off Puerto Rico. When a Navy helicopter spotted him, he had his feet up in a life raft and was eating a candy bar. Whisked aboard the aircraft carrier Intrepid, Carpenter received a phone call from President Kennedy, who congratulated him on being the second American to orbit Earth. The astronaut humbly apologized “for not having aimed a little bit better on re-entry.”

Born in Boulder, Carpenter “had a tough childhood,” said the Los Angeles Times. His parents separated when he was 3, and he was largely raised by his grandfather, a local newspaper editor. In 1939, his grandfather died, “and Carpenter, all of 14 years old, was more or less on his own.” He became a troublemaker. “The local papers that say I was just a normal boy are trying to think of something good to say,” he told Life in 1962. “I stole things from stores, and I was just drifting through, sort of no-good.” But after twice flunking out of the University of Colorado and spending a brief stint in the hospital following a high-speed car crash, he decided to turn his life around. “He returned to college and studied hard. Three years later, he was a Navy pilot.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us