Scott Carpenter

Easton Press Scott Carpenter books

We Seven - Signed by Scott Carpenter, John Glenn and Gordon Cooper as part of the 6 volume Astronaut Library - 1997
For Spacious Skies - Signed Edition with signatures of Scott Carpenter and co-author Kris Stoever - 2002

 

Astronaut Scott Carpenter

Scott Carpenter (1925–2013) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, and aquanaut who played a significant role in the early years of space exploration. Born on May 1, 1925, in Boulder, Colorado, Malcolm Scott Carpenter developed a passion for aviation from a young age. He served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II and the Korean War, showcasing his skills as a test pilot. Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven astronauts for NASA's Project Mercury, the United States' first manned space program. On May 24, 1962, he piloted the Aurora 7 spacecraft, becoming the fourth American in space and the second American to orbit the Earth. During the mission, Carpenter conducted experiments on the effects of space travel on the human body and observed the Earth from orbit. One of Carpenter's notable contributions during the Aurora 7 flight was his use of a small handheld periscope to view the spacecraft's instruments, as the capsule's window had fogged up. This resourcefulness demonstrated the importance of adaptability and quick thinking in the challenging environment of space.

After his spaceflight, Carpenter worked on various NASA projects, including underwater training for spacewalks. In the 1960s, he participated in the U.S. Navy's SEALAB program, an experimental project involving living and working on the ocean floor, which contributed valuable insights to the development of deep-sea exploration. Carpenter's later career included involvement in private industry and oceanography. He founded Sea Sciences, Inc., a company focused on providing oceanographic expertise, and continued to advocate for scientific exploration and environmental conservation.

Scott Carpenter passed away on October 10, 2013, at the age of 88. His legacy is remembered not only for his contributions to space exploration but also for his adventurous spirit and dedication to scientific discovery. Carpenter's pioneering efforts in both space and the ocean depths left an indelible mark on the history of exploration and inspired future generations of astronauts and scientists.

 

For Spacious Skies

M. Scott Carpenter was America's fourth man in space, his 1962 three-orbit mission in a tiny Mercury capsule closely paralleling that of John Glenn's previous mission. But that's where the similarities end: a malfunctioning navigational system caused Carpenter to splash down, dangerously, some 250 miles off-target, and Glenn's fame would somehow forever eclipse that of all seven of his fellow original astronauts combined. This memoir, penned in conjunction with Carpenter's daughter Kris, oddly distances itself from Carpenter's life through use of a third-person narrative (only the astronaut's calm account of his perilous mission is delivered directly in his voice), a device that ultimately echoes the more personal distances Carpenter endured in his own fateful, if troubled, journey toward the stars.
While Carpenter may have been able to trace his lineage back to the Plymouth colony of the 1630s, his immediate family seemed shattered. His research-chemist father was successful but absent, his mother often a bedridden invalid. Carpenter's journey to the Mercury program after a Rocky Mountain childhood and a stint on lumbering Naval patrol planes is one of the more unlikely of the original astronaut class, and he offers up his own perspectives on what has become a compelling body of American folklore (thanks largely to Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff and the memoirs of other participants). While the account of NASA's infancy seems quaint, its officialdom often comes off as nothing short of cutthroat, perhaps inspiring the pioneering spaceman to the book's final adventures exploring a distinctly different frontier the bottom of the ocean as part of the Navy's endurance-minded SeaLab program.

 

We Seven

The pioneer astronauts who took America into space tell their personal stories about the challenges they faced, their fears, joys, friendships & successes. Chosen from hundreds of crackerjack pilots for their fitness, intelligence & courage, the original Mercury Seven astronauts risked their lives to cross the space frontier. In We Seven they take readers behind the scenes to show them their training, technology & teamwork, & to share personal stories, including the lighter moments of their mission. They bring readers inside the Mercury program, even into the space capsules themselves. We Seven straps you in with the astronauts & rockets you along for the ride. Share Alan Shepard's exhilaration as he breaks thru the earth's atmosphere. Endure moments of panic with Gus Grissom when his hatch blows, stranding him in the open sea. Race with John Glenn as he makes split-second life-or-death maneuvers during reentry, & feel his relief when he emerges safe but drenched with sweat. Despite such heroism, Project Mercury was more than the story of individual missions. It defined the manned space flight program to come, from Gemini thru Apollo. In We Seven America's original astronauts tell us 1sthand about the space program they pioneered, & share with us the hopes of the USA at the dawn of a new era.