Carpenter Orbits Earth: Mercury Mission Nearly Lost at Sea

Scott Carpenter nearly died because he was too busy looking out the window. On May 24, 1962, the Mercury astronaut completed three orbits of Earth aboard Aurora 7, becoming the second American to orbit the planet, but a series of errors and mechanical problems turned his reentry into one of the most harrowing episodes of the early space program. Carpenter was a replacement. NASA had originally assigned Deke Slayton to the mission but grounded him weeks before launch due to a heart irregularity. Carpenter, John Glenn's backup, stepped in with minimal preparation time. He launched from Cape Canaveral atop an Atlas rocket and reached orbit without incident. The trouble began during the flight. Carpenter was captivated by the view and spent significant time on visual observations, falling behind on his checklist. A malfunctioning pitch horizon scanner compounded the problem, and Carpenter used excessive fuel from his attitude control thrusters. By the time he needed to align for reentry, he was low on fuel and behind schedule. The retrofire was three seconds late and aimed three degrees off-angle. These small errors compounded: Aurora 7 overshot its planned landing zone by 250 miles. For 40 minutes after splashdown, Mission Control had no contact with Carpenter and no confirmation he had survived. Television networks reported him missing. The recovery helicopter finally spotted his life raft in the Caribbean, and Carpenter was found sitting on top of the capsule, eating a candy bar. NASA never flew Carpenter again. The agency quietly concluded that the pilot had been more scientist than test pilot, too absorbed in the experience of spaceflight to manage the mechanics of it. Carpenter transferred to the Navy's SEALAB program and spent the rest of his career underwater rather than in orbit.