SECURING THE SPACECRAFT

Meanwhile, on the flight deck, Freedom 7 was being fully secured on its platform by the ship’s special work detail personnel. As recalled by Ed Killian, “NASA technical representatives began to examine the capsule and record the final settings of the switches and gauge readings on the control panel and consoles. Marines were posted at the capsule, and the ship’s special work detail and flight deck directors stood by to assist. NASA, Dean Conger and Navy photographers converged on the capsule.”

Charles Tynan, NASA’s Recovery Team Leader, carefully entered Freedom 7 in order to verify settings and the condition of equipment. “Access to the capsule was not severely restricted as long as the NASA personnel were not interfered with in the per­formance of their duties,” notes Killian. “The ship’s crew could get close enough to peer inside and to photograph the Freedom 7 capsule. They gathered nearby as the NASA Tech Rep made his inspection.”

After the other helicopters had landed in their marked positions on the forward flight deck, the platform and its spacecraft cargo were rolled inboard and parked next to the island structure. Once the choppers had left their spots, the deck was clear for the fixed-wing aircraft that were to take off later.

“Once the platform was secured near the island,” Killian continued, “the NASA technician resumed his examination of the capsule. At the top were the two empty quadrants were the parachutes had been housed. We could also see the periscope that the astronaut used to view the Earth on his ascent and descent. A bucket was placed near the capsule and unexpended green dye marker was bled off into the bucket. The capsule was on four-by-four wooden beams in order to prevent the landing bag from being damaged by the weight of the capsule. We could get close enough for an inside view of the capsule and to take pictures of its instrument panel. We could see where Shepard had been seated in the capsule. His head rested evenly with the window in the rear of the capsule.”

At the same time, flight deck personnel were preparing the COD plane that was to fly Shepard and his NASA entourage to Grand Bahama Island, also known as GBI.