Carpenter Replaces Slayt:On on MA-7
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VOL. 1, NO. 11 MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER, LANGLEY STATION, HAMPTON, VA. MARCH 21, 1962 Carpenter Replaces Slayt:on On MA-7 DekeStill In 'ErraticHeart' Cited As Cause Program, Say MSC Officials For Substitution J "I didn'texpecttoviewthisas- 7_lanned Spacecraft Center of- signment with mixed emotions," ficials emphasized last week that - astronaut M. Scott Carpenter told the dcmion to change priors in the newsmen last week. "I hate to be propo,ed :_IA-7 fli,_ht because o[ 1 a part of something which is such Artronaut Donald K. Slaytotfs ir- _ a great disappointment to Deke." reg;dar heartbeat "'would not elimi- nate De/ee from the program." _ _ He referred to Thursday's de- in thk program; right nou ue felt "Deke" Slayton to make the next that other_ u'ho are Jounder at the _ orbital flight. Carpenter, back-up "'There are man)unknouns still _ cisiOnnotto OfallowacivilianAstronautmedicaiDonaldteamK. primoanteeent.'" Puhlicmight Affabirer mOfficerore approJohn- _7 *'- Glenn'spilot duringorbital AsflighttronautFeb.John20, wasH. Power_ lol3 newsnzen at a press Y chosen in Slayton's place "because conference Frida 3. "'When we get to the point where there are not "l the Glenn flight immediately," ac- too many unknou'ns, thi) will not , cording to Public Affairs Officer be ; .li_quali/)ing condition. " : John Powers. "'We expect to &'ep Deke /t)ing Commented Slayton, who learn- ridv ,,¢ .loun the road." ed of the decision late Thursday La&r m ;he u cd_. at ceremonies _ afternoon: "I am quite obviously honoring MSC Director Robert R. _ very disappointed . • I assumed Gilruth and the sez en astronauts in I would go . You feel the same (Continued on page 3) Astronaut Donald K. "Deke" Slayton Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter way you'd feel about anything when you get shot out of the sad- dle unexpectedly." physician to the astronauts, told a PeninsulaTurnsOut For'Mercury Day' Dr. (ContinuWilliamed Douglas,on page p2)ersonaI The seven astronauts, together and their families, and climaxed Even the weatherman cooperated to the Warwick Boulevard inter- sincepublicthe forMA-6onlyflight,thesecondtoured timethe wton'iths aDarlingpublicobservanceMemorial Sintadium.Hamp brweeze th. aThesunnylatterdaymadeanathingsa briska doublesectionrowCarsin wtheerenorthboundlinedupinlanea Sec retary To streets of Hampton and Newport In between came a luncheon at bit chilly for those riding in open of N. King Street as drivers and News ahmg with IVlSC officials the Langley AFB Omcer's Clnb and convertibles and caused at least one passengers strained to get a glimpse Astronauts Saturday as the Virginia Peninsula a 22-mile parade through down- photographer to lose his hat along of the astronauts. turnedCrowdsout cheered,for a rousingflags wavedwelcomande, centraltown NHampton.ewport NewThes prandocession,then MeAlrcurythoughBoulethevardprocession. did not AmericanChildren, flagsmanyor hofoldingthem upwasigns,ving St umps pa ne I all the theater marquees read, some 50 cars long, stretched back slow to a "parade pace" until it swarmed along the shoulders and "Greeting NASA; We Salute You." for a half-mile from the open car reached downtown Newport News, center island of four-lane Mercury Miss Nancy Lowe, secretary to The day-hmg festivities began in which Astronaut Glenn and his several thousand people lined the Boulevard. Just before the entrance the seven astronauts, thoroughly with a short ceremony in the Lang- attractive wife Annie waved at the route from the main gate of Lang- to the James River Bridge the pro- stumped a panel of four on the Icy AFB theater for MSC employees crowd, ley AFB down Mercury Boulevard cession turned left and proceeded TV show "What's My Line?" Sun- down Warwick Boulevard and 37th day night, winning :$50 in the pro- Street to Washington Avenue in tess. the heart of Newport News busi- Early in the game regular panel ness district, members Arlene Francis, Dorothy Here crowds packed the side.- Kilgallen and Bennet Cerf discov- walks and camera bugs leaned from ered Miss Lowe worked for % the tops of theater marquees to government a_ency" and a couple take snapshots. With no tall build- of questions later discovered it was ings to use, the confetti-throwers the federal government. Miss were somewhat frustrated, but they Francis then unearthed the fact that tried. Nancy was "a secretary to some- Businessmen had their own body important." brand of special decor. One hmch- But although Nancy's hometown eonette put.up a large menu read- had been given as Poquoson, Va., ing, "We are in orbit with our at the start of the questioning, NASA specials Space-Filling Hot none of the panel members ever Dogs, Delicious Coffee from the connected her with either NASA Launching P a d, Orbit Banana or the Manned Spacecraft Center. Splits." When the answer was revealed all As the procession crossed the four grinned sheepishly. railroad bridge on 25th Street, the Moderator John Charles Daly, train below whistled and John having seen the astronauts at a Glenn reached into mid-air to jerk dinner given by Washington's an imaginary whistle-lanyard. Gridiron Club the night before, Virtually the same scene as in noted that there was one point he EVEN THE MARQUEES shout "Greetings" as Astronaut John H. Glenn waves at the crowds Newport News greeted the parade should bring out. and his wife Annie smiles. The scene is Washington Avenue in downtown Newport News during participar_ts on Queen Street, in "I am told," said Daly, "that the parade for "Proje.'t Mercury Day" last Saturday. In cars behind Glenn are the other six the business section of Hampton. Nancy is the twist champion of astronauts and NASA and MSC officials, as well as state and local leaders. (Continued on page 3) Cocoa Beach, Fla." PAGE2 MARCH21, 1962 SPACENEWSROUNDUP Health, Service Carpenter DrivesBegin Replaces Here AIO_ril 30 pressc<,o<t-,Fr'dayeron., thatc1Se'ay Annual fund raising campaigns inn's condition was a "grossly ir- for both the National Health regular" heart beat, without any Agenciesand the FederalService knowncause."Manypeoplehave Joint Crusade will get underway this condition," Douglas added. here March 9, and last through Commenting oIi the disparity April30. betweenthe Air Forcemedical The NationalHealth Agencies board,whichpassedSlaytonfor the group includes 10 participating flight, and the civilian cardiolo- agenciesconcernedwith multiple gists who countermandedthe de- sclerosis, crippled children, blind- cision, Douglas said it was "a dif- ness, cancer, heart disease, arthritis ference of opinion." and rheumatism,musculardys- Slaytonnotedthat he couldtell trophy,cerebralpalsy,mentalill- when the conditionoccurred,bur hess and retarded children, had flown when it was apparent The FederalServiceJoint Cru- with no ill effect."I have done sade provides an oporrunity to con- everything with it that I can do tributeto RadioFreeEurope,the withoutit,"he said,andaddedthat American-Korean Foundation and his cure for it was to "get out and. CARE. runtwoor threemiles." Envelopes will be distributed to "In my opinion it isn't anything all employeeswith their paychecks unhealthy;it's justlikehavingone of March29.Timeandattendance blue and one browneye." clerks will receive a '<Keyman's BOY SCOUT, EXPLORER SCOUT and astronauts. These two youngsters had their pictures taken Kit" for each of the two campaigns, with four of the astronauts Monday for publicity on the upcoming State of Massachusetts Scout Robert R. Gilruth, director of collect the completed envelopes and Jamboree. Left to right are Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Barry Michael, 14, of Cambridge, Mass., John the Manned Spacecraft Center, answer questions. Envelopes should H. Glenn, Jr., Bill Horn, 17, of Cambridge, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., and Donald K. "Deke" said earlier in a press conference in Vdashingmn that "Deke is an be turned in to Miss Carol Hicks, Slayton. extremely competent engineer-test Room 201, Budding5t9 by at- pilot and entirelycapableof the 4 Contributions within an area go Astronauts i normalitym,ss,on,ninterferednocasowithhasthDeke's abs to that area's local affiliates of the TidewaterLivesperformance." butors t,onlareHealthurgedAgenciestodesignateContr'the p ose withM ass. officialsemphasizedthecondi- Nationalthey HealthcnntrAgencies tobutwhichtogo. o.sEQgle scouts Up To Its Name _uge training, durint_, whichitfirst Undesignated funds will be divided showed up, or to an), nd_er part of in proportion to designated con- Two Massachusetts Eagle Scouts, The worst tidal floods since slushy melting snow and encounter- the astronaut's training schedule. rriburions, one of them an Explorer Scout and 1933 hit the aptly-named Tide- ing no more than a fry,' inches of As to whether it would clear up Contributors to the Federal Ser- "space advisor" to Explorer Post water over the roads here and later, Dr. Douglas said no, that vice Joint Crusade may also desig- No. 48 in Cambridge, had their water Section around Langley there. Slayton would probably have the hate the agency of their choice, pictures taken with Astronauts AFB March 7, putting much Then, as a 9:45 a.m high-tide cotldition "fi_r the rest of his life." and undesignated contributions will John H. Glenn, Jr., Alan B. She D of the Manned Spacecraft Cen- approached, wind - driven water Carpenter steps into tl_c piloCs be divided equally among the three ard, Jr., L. Gordon Cooper, and ter under several inches of moved in toward buildings along shoes with approximately one-third agencies. Don Slayton, Monday. water and interrupting power the waterfront on the east side of of the preparations of the MA-7 Neither drive has a quota or a The picture will be used in sup- and heat services, the field. Administrative leave for tllght completed. Asked about pledge, but seeks increased giving port of the State of Massachusetts all employees was declared. Those changes he would make, Carpenter on :t voluntary basis. Jamboree for 24,000 Scouts to be At least four MSC employ- that left immediately got out with. said he "'might choose a different The following persons will be held next month in Boston Garden.