1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910300367103321

Autore

Burgess Colin <1947->

Titolo

Liberty Bell 7 : The Suborbital Mercury Flight of Virgil I. Grissom / / by Colin Burgess

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2014

ISBN

9783319043913

3319043919

Edizione

[1st ed. 2014.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (295 p.)

Collana

Space Exploration

Disciplina

629.454

Soggetti

Aerospace engineering

Astronautics

Astronomy

Space sciences

History

Aerospace Technology and Astronautics

Popular Science in Astronomy

Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics)

History of Science

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"Pioneers in early spacelight"--Cover.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters and index.

Nota di contenuto

An astronaut named Gus -- The MR-3 mission and spacecraft -- Preparing for launch -- The flight of Liberty Bell 7 -- An astronaut in peril -- One program ends, another begins -- From the depths of the ocean.

Sommario/riassunto

NASA’s Mercury astronauts were seven highly skilled professional test pilots. Each of them seemed to possess the strength of character and commitment necessary to overcome apparently insurmountable obstacles as the United States entered into a Cold War space race with the Soviet Union. This was never more evident than on the epic suborbital MR-4 flight of Liberty Bell 7 with astronaut Virgil (‘Gus’) Grissom piloting the spacecraft to a successful splashdown, followed by



the premature blowing of the craft’s explosive hatch. After a hurried exit and struggling to stay afloat, he could only watch helplessly as the recovery helicopter pilot valiantly fought a losing battle to save the sinking capsule.   That day NASA not only lost a spacecraft but came perilously close to losing one of its Mercury astronauts, a decorated Korean fighter pilot from Indiana who might one day have soared to the highest goal of them all, as the first person to set foot on the Moon.   For the first time, many of those closest to the flight of Liberty Bell 7 and astronaut Gus Grissom offer their stories and opinions on the dramatic events of July 21, 1961, and his later pioneering Gemini mission. They also tell of an often controversial life cut tragically and horrifically short in a launch pad fire that shocked the nation.  .