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8

Announcing the Mercury

It was Wednesday, 8 April1959, a few hours before a gala NASA press conference was due in Washington, D.C., as Captain Hal Ekeren took to the skies for what would prove to be the final time. The press was attending the conference in excited droves, as NASA was about to announce the names of the seven Mercury astronauts, and introduce them to the public.

TilE UNFORGIVING SKY

Although somewhat disappointed that he had missed out on being selected, Mercury candidate Hal Ekeren was once again at home in the skies over Nevada. Attached to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB's Air Research and Development Command, he had been test-flying several variants of the 100-seriesjet aircraft while waiting to hear from NASA. He had not done his case any good by admitting during the stress-testing phase that he had some reservations about giving up test flying to become an . On that fateful day Captain Ekeren was on temporary assignment at Nellis AFB, Nevada, conducting short test flights in preparation for the much-anticipated World Congress of Flight that was planned for the week 12-19 April. During his career he had logged 2,780 hours in the air. At 1125 local time, he took off from Nellis in a JF-106A-50 Delta Dart, serial number 57-229A, ahead of a second F-106A piloted by Captain William E. Powers. Both aircraft were assigned to the Joint Test Flight at Edwards AFB. They were to practice a low-altitude supersonic fly-by at Nellis' Gunnery Range No.1, situated four miles north of Nevada's Indian Springs AFB. The weather was clear, with twenty-five miles visibility. Having climbed to 9,000 feet, both aircraft began a planned shallow dive toward Indian Springs, with Powers flying at Mach 0.96 about a mile astern of Ekeren. As they approached Indian Springs, Ekeren called Powers and said that his oil pressure warning light had illuminated; he was going to gain altitude and make an emergency landing at Indian Springs. Powers and ground observers reported grey smoke or vapour streaming from the tailpipe of the F -106 as Ekeren made several small turns to begin to line up for his approach. Powers then observed two small

C. Burgess, Selecting the : The Search for America’s First Astronauts, 273 Springer Praxis Books 2, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8405-0_8, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 274 Announcing the Mercury astronauts

Capt. Halvor Ekeren, Jr., USAF. (Photo courtesy of David Ekeren) explosions inside the tailpipe, which instantly began to issue thick, black smoke. A few moments later Ekeren ejected at an altitude of around 6,000 feet, just before a large explosion blew off the aircraft's nose cone and tore the fuselage in half at the turbine section. As Captain Powers continued to observe Ekeren's descent, he could see that the man was struggling to free his parachute, which was entangled with the ejection seat. When the chute finally came free, instead of deploying the canopy it streamed behind the plunging pilot. A crash crew with a doctor immediately set off from Indian Springs AFB, but owing to the rough terrain it was fully half an hour before they reached the downed pilot. A helicopter from Nellis AFB arrived to evacuate him. He was rushed to the base's hospital, but died two hours later. 1 At the same time, seven apprehensive pilots were attending a briefing at Langley Field, Virginia, in preparation for an historic NASA press conference in the nation's capital the following afternoon.

A CROWDED PRESS CONFERENCE

A yellow, three-storey house still occupies the northeast corner of Lafayette Square, just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House in Washington, D.C., and a weathered plaque informs admirers that this was once the post-presidency home of James and Dolley Madison. However the former president was only an occasional visitor to the stately home. Following his death in 1836 the Dolley Madison house became known as the epicentre of social life in the city, well known for extravagant parties hosted by the former First Lady and attended, until her death in 1849, by the capital's rich and famous. A crowded press conference 275

The Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. (Photo: NASA)

In 1958, the newly formed NASA acquired the refurbished and expanded Dolley Madison House to serve as its temporary headquarters until a more suitable facility could be found elsewhere in the city. At 2:00p.m. on 9 April1959, press reporters and news crews were crammed into a converted ballroom in the expanded south side of the building, waiting expectantly 276 Announcing the Mercury astronauts for an important announcement from the nation's space agency. Full to bursting, the room was abuzz with noise and chatter when, right on cue, the curtains at one end of the room were whisked open to reveal a long, felt-covered table. A large NASA logo hung on a second set of curtains behind the table, and there was an American flag at each end of the stage. Scale models of an rocket and a Mercury spacecraft were dramatically propped in front of the tables. To the right and left of the table were the presiding NASA spokesman Walter T. Bonney, NASA Administrator Dr. T. Keith Glennan, Dr. W. Randolph Lovelace II (now Chairman of the NASA Life Sciences Committee), Brig. Gen. Don D. Flickinger (USAF), Capt. Norman Lee Barr (USN), Robert R. Gilruth (Director of ) and Gilruth's assistant Charles J. Donlan.2 As television cameras came to life and flashbulbs popped in a dazzling crescendo of light and sound, seven men dressed in civilian clothing were ushered in. They sat in alphabetical order right to left behind the table. They had mostly learned of their selection a week earlier, and were still assimilating the idea. Only the previous day, they had met some of the NASA people such as Walter Bonney and John "Shorty" Powers, their public relations officer, at Langley Field. As recalled, it wasn't until the morning of the press conference that he actually got to meet and congratulate his fellow selectees. While Bonney was NASA's top public affairs officer, he had allowed his young assistant Paul Haney to brief the astronauts on what they could expect. "They won't just ask about your flying," Haney had warned. "They'll ask about your religion, do

The seven Mercury astronauts at the press conference, 9 Aprill959. On stage, from left: B/Gen. Don Flickinger, Deke Slayton, , , , , , , Capt. Norman Barr, Robert Gilruth, Walt Bonney (standing). Charles Donlan is mostly obscured behind Bonney. (Photo: NASA) The Mercury Seven 277 you go to church regularly? They'll ask about your wife and kids. What's your political affiliation? Were you a Boy as a kid?"3 Now the seven men peered apprehensively into the swarming sea of faces and exploding flashbulbs as NASA spokesman Walter Bonney patiently began to call for order. Wally Schirra would later describe it as "a scary event, as we faced a thundering herd of reporters and photographers".4 Deke Slayton agreed. "I've never seen anything like it, before or since," he said in his memoirs. "It was just a frenzy of light bulbs ... it was some kind of roar."5

THE MERCURY SEVEN

After the initial clamour for photographs and footage had died down, Bonney started to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. The rules for this briefing are very simple. In about sixty seconds we will give you the announcement that you've all been waiting for: the names of the seven volunteers who will become the Mercury astronaut team. Following the distribution of the kit - and this will be done as speedily as possible - those of you who have p.m. deadline problems had better dash for your phones. We will have about a ten- or twelve­ minute break during which the gentlemen will be available for picture taking. There will be no talk, however. Then we will reconvene, hoping that the p.m. boys have done their file and come back and start the presentation and the Q and A." As attendants handed out press kits, Bonney pointed at the seven men seated self­ consciously on the stage, and in a booming voice announced, "Gentlemen, these are the astronaut volunteers. Take your pictures as you will, gentlemen!" It again proved difficult to maintain any sort of order as the unruly pack of press cameramen, eager for the best possible shot, kept surging to the front of the stage to get photographs of the seven men, all of them shouting to attract the attention of the bemused astronauts. Alan Shepard leaned back a little in his chair, glanced at Slayton and Schirra on either side of him, and said in mild shock, "I can't believe this. These people are nuts!" Slayton agreed. "It's a worm farm out there," he growled. 6 The men could not believe the maelstrom of noise and adulation taking place in front of them. They were being applauded, hailed as if they were a group of heroes who had done something extraordinary, yet all they had done as a unit was to turn up in civilian attire for a press conference. "It happened without us doing a damn thing," Slayton later mused. "We show up for a news conference ... and now we're the bravest men in the country. Talk about crazy!"7 Eventually the disorderly press corps was ushered back from the stage by NASA officials as the head of the agency, T. Keith Glennan, stood patiently waiting for the uproar of voices to diminish. "Ladies and gentlemen," Glennan then announced, his eyes sweeping the packed ballroom. "Today, we are introducing to you and to the world these seven men who have been selected to begin training for orbital space flight. "These men, the nation's Mercury astronauts, are here after a long and perhaps 278 Announcing the Mercury astronauts unprecedented series of evaluations which told our medical consultants and scientists of their superb adaptability to their upcoming flight. Which of these men will be first to orbit the Earth, I cannot tell you. He won't know himself until the day of the flight. "The astronaut training program will last probably two years. During this time our urgent goal is to subject these gentlemen to every stress - each unusual environment they will experience in that flight. Before the first flight, we will have developed the Mercury spaceship to the point where it will be as reliable as man can devise. We expect it to be as reliable as any experimental aircraft. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you - and I consider it a very real honor, gentlemen- from your right: Malcolm S. Carpenter, Leroy G. Cooper (missing the Jr. suffiX), John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Donald K. Slayton ... the nation's Mercury astronauts!"

QUESTION TIME

Following his own short speech of welcome, Gilruth handed over to Dr. Lovelace. He briefly mentioned without any specific details the physical examinations the men had completed at the clinic bearing his family name. He even raised a few chuckles when he reflected on the Lovelace tests and said, "I just hope they never give me a physical examination!" Behind the table, the seven men were fidgeting. Slayton, Shepard and Schirra were nervously puffing on cigarettes. Next, Bonney handed the microphone over to General Flickinger. "I really am here as a spokesman only for the team of scientists which we pooled together at the AeroMed Lab at Dayton," Flickinger said. "We pulled these scientists together from both the Army and Navy and Air Force resources. This was a composite team whose objectives were to subject all of the candidates to stresses which most nearly simulated those which we project for the individual in the first orbital flights of Project Mercury. All that I have to say, Walt, is that from our standpoint the most difficult job was in not taking all of the 31 or 32 that started through. It was really a difficult job and it is a great tribute, I think, to our Air Force, Navy and Marine flying personnel that they came through with such flying colors. I've been very proud to be associated with this project, and we on the aeromedical side have learned a great deal from it." Bonney took the floor again, mildly rebuking the press that it was still not time for them to be taking photographs. He then handed over to Charles Donlan. "There is little I can add to what has been said except that we are delighted to have these astronauts with us," Donlan stated. "They bring to the program a wide range of experience, , and flying, and other scientific engineering disciplines. I hope we are going to have a chance to work with them with a bigger proportion than we have had to date." At this, Bonney said it was time for questions. Many were the trite queries Paul Haney had predicted: their religion, their motivation, their astronaut salary, how Question time 279

Charles Donlan. (Photo: NASA) many of them smoked, and why only married men were selected. Footage of the conference shows most of them ill at ease with the personal nature of the questions and having to produce adequate responses. As Gordon Cooper recalled, one of the first questions directed at them was not about their military or flying backgrounds, but about how their wives and children had reacted to their selection. He and Trudy were in a marriage that had long been disintegrating, but both realised the importance of maintaining the appearance of a stable marriage. "I don't remember what I said," he later wrote. "Whatever I mouthed, it came from behind the mask of a career officer - a few platitudes, then shutting up and hoping like hell that no one knew the truth about my marriage."8 The only member of the group who looked truly at ease that day was John Glenn. While his colleagues mostly muttered monosyllabic answers, Glenn seemed to be in his element and he was soon feeding a grateful press with well constructed quotable responses that hinted at a man with strong family values, convictions and patriotism; even making wryly humorous observations. And the press loved him. On a question about their motivation, Glenn listened to the awkward responses given by Slayton, Shepard, Schirra and Grissom, scribbling notes as they spoke. Then it was his turn, and he was right at his John Glenn best. "In answer to this same question a few days ago from someone else I- jokingly, of course- said that I got on this project because it probably would be the nearest to Heaven I will ever get and I wanted to make the most of it." He was greeted with a wave of appreciative laughter. "But my feelings are that this whole project with regard to space sort of stands with us now as, if you want to look at it one way, like the Wright brothers stood at Kitty Hawk about fifty years ago, with Orville and Wilbur pitching a coin to see who was going to shove the other one off of the hill down there. I think we stand on the verge of something as big and as expansive as 280 Announcing the Mercury astronauts that was, fifty years ago. I also agree wholeheartedly with Gus here. I think we are very fortunate that we have, should we say, been blessed with the talents that have been picked for something like this. I think we would be almost remiss in our duty if we didn't make full use of our talents. Every one of us would feel guilty I think if we didn't make the fullest use of our talents in volunteering for something that is as important as this is to our country and the world in general right now." Glenn was proving to be a PR dream. The service symmetry came into question: three Air Force, three Navy and one Marine astronaut. Was this deliberate? Bonney responded before the astronauts could say anything. "They did it by the numbers, not by the service. It just happened that way." Another question concerned the enthusiasm, or otherwise, of their families for a particularly hazardous undertaking. The first men to respond talked about their wives supporting them in their service careers despite the risks associated with being a test pilot, but it was Carpenter who drew the best reaction. "My wife's enthusiasm has matched mine throughout the program," he said. "As a matter of fact, when I was notified that I was being considered [... ] I was at sea at the time, and so my wife called Washington and volunteered for me!" Everyone in the auditorium roared with laughter, and Carpenter settled back in his chair with a satisfied smile. The questions continued, but after ninety minutes it became apparent that most of the astronauts and their support team were flagging and becoming mentally fatigued. Glenn, however, seemed indefatigable. Despite Bonney trying to steer questions to the other six selectees, the freckle-faced Marine had become the focus of the media. Then as the conference was winding up, a female reporter asked for a show of hands as to how many of the men were confident they would come back from outer space. Like reluctant schoolboys, six of the men stuck a hand in the air; Glenn set himself apart once again by cheekily raising both arms. Wally Schirra noticed this and stuck his other hand in the air as well, much to the delight of the crowd. Finally, much to their relief, Bonney called an end to the conference at 3:25 p.m. and a fmal appreciative round of applause erupted around the room. As the nation's seven astronauts left the stage, each departed with the realisation that their lives had changed forever. They were no longer just another test pilot, anonymous to all except their family members, friends and colleagues. Suddenly they were the nation's newest heroes, and each of them was wondering how it would affect him, his family and his career. That night, the Mercury astronauts enjoyed a dinner with NASA Administrator Keith Glennan, Air Force Chief of Staff General Thomas White, and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke. They were introduced to Ed Thompson of Life magazine and to the entrepreneurial tax attorney Leo D'Orsey, who was present to finalise a deal in which Life would get exclusive rights to the personal stories of the astronauts in exchange for $500,000 spread over four years, this sum being shared equally by the seven. Powers assured the men that this was the best way to ensure they would not be constantly hounded for information and personal stories by reporters while engaged References 281

The seven astronauts posing for photographers. (Photo: NASA) in their training schedule. It would also shield their families from the media circus. And, of course, about $70,000 per man before taxes represented a fortune in relation to their military salaries. With everyone agreeing it was a good, solid and protective arrangement (and one which had received the blessing of President Eisenhower), all seven men signed their names to the contract. That night, the television news carried highlights of the conference, and the next morning newspapers across the nation heralded the seven Mercury astronauts. Their military careers and personal details were revealed, even to the extent of publishing their full home addresses. It was almost as if these seven men now carried the hopes of a nation on their shoulders. Literally overnight, they had become the focus of an insatiable and lasting curiosity. Their lives had indeed changed forever, two years before the first of them would ever ride a rocket. Even as the astronaut press conference was taking place at the Dolley Madison House, a solemn, tearful church service was being conducted elsewhere to recall the noble life and achievements of U.S. Air Force Captain Halvor Ekeren, Jr., who had died in a tragic accident the day before. On Saturday, 11 April, he was interred with dignity and honour close to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in an older section of Arlington National Cemetery, the nation's most hallowed ground.9

REFERENCES

1. Official Report of AF Aircraft Accident, Capt. Halvor Martin Ekeren, Reg. AF, 22 July 1959 2. Transcript of Press Conference introducing Mercury Astronauts: Taken from 282 Announcing the Mercury astronauts

archival NASA film footage, 9 . Re-released for 50th anniversary of NASA, 2008 3. Schefter, James, The Race, Doubleday, New York, N.Y., 1999 4. Walter M. Schirra, Jr. and Richard N. Billings, Schirra's Space, Quiolan Press, Boston, MA, 1988, pg. 63 5. Slayton, Donald K. And Michael Cassutt, Deke! U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle, Forge Books, New York, N.Y., 1994 6. Ibid. 7. Shepard, Alan and Deke Slayton, and Howard Benedict, : The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon, Virgin Books, London, UK, 1994 8. Cooper, Gordon and Bruce Henderson, Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown, HarperCollins, New York, N.Y., 2000 9. David Ekeren e-mail message to author, 25 February 2011.