In his own words Pilot’s flight report by Alan B. Shepard, Jr

Taken from the NASA paper (in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health and the National Academy of Sciences): Proceedings of a Conference on Results of the First U. S. Manned Suborbital Flight, 6 June 1961, Washington, D. C.

(Most references by Shepard to images screened during his presentation deleted)

INTRODUCTION

My intention is to present my flight report in narrative form and to include three phases. These phases shall be: (1) the period prior to launch, (2) the flight itself, and (3) the post­flight debriefing period. I intend to describe my feelings and reactions and to make com­ments pertinent to these three areas. I also have an onboard film of the flight to show at the end of my presentation.

PRE-FLIGHT PERIOD

Astronaut D. K. Slayton in a previous paper described the program followed by the Project Mercury astronauts during a two-year training period with descriptions of the various devices used. All of these devices provided one thing in common: namely, the feeling of confidence that the astronauts achieved from their use. Some devices, of course, produced more confidence than others but all were very well received by the group. There are three machines or training devices which provided the most assistance. The first of these is the human centrifuge. We used the facilities of the U. S. Naval Air Development Center in Johnsville, Pennsylvania, which provided the centrifuge itself and a computer to control its inputs. This computer, through an instrument display, provided a control task similar to that of the Mercury spacecraft, with inputs of the proper aerodynamic and moment-of – inertia equations. Thus, we were able to experience the acceleration environment while

C. Burgess, Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Springer Praxis Books, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-01156-1, © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014

simultaneously controlling the spacecraft on a simulated manual system. This experience gave us the feeling of muscle control for circulation and breathing, transmitting, and general control of the spacecraft. I found that the flight environment was very close to the environment provided by the centrifuge. The flight accelerations were smooth, of the same magnitude used during training, and certainly in no way disturbing.

The second training device that proved of great value was the procedures trainer. This device will be recognized as an advanced type of the Link trainer, which was used for instrument training during the last war. We were able to use it to correlate pre-flight plan­ning, to practice simulated control maneuvers, and to practice operational techniques. The Space Task Group has two such trainers, one at Langley Field, Virginia, the other at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and both are capable of the simultaneous training of pilots and ground crews. As a result of the cross-training between pilots and the ground crews at the Project Mercury Control Center, we experienced no major difficulties during the flight. We had learned each other’s problems and terminology, and I feel that we have a valuable training system in use for present and for future flights.

The third area of pre-flight training, which is considered as one of importance, concerns working with the spacecraft itself. The Mercury spacecraft is tested at Cape Canaveral before being attached to the Redstone launch vehicle. These tests provide an excellent opportunity for pilots to learn the idiosyncrasies of the various systems. After the space­craft has been placed on the launch vehicle, more tests are made just prior to launch day. The pilots have a chance to participate in these tests and to work out operational proce­dures with the blockhouse crew.

These three areas then, the centrifuge, the procedures trainer, and spacecraft testing at the launching area, provided the most valuable aids during the training period. We spent two years in training, doing many things, following many avenues in our desire to be sure that we had not overlooked anything of importance. As a general comment concerning future training programs, these experiences will undoubtedly permit us to shorten this training period.

During the days immediately preceding the launch, the pre-flight physicals were given. These examinations do not involve more than the usual profiling, listening, and other med­ical tests, but I hope that fewer body fluid examples are required in the future. I felt as though an unusual number of medics were used.

Pre-flight briefing was held at11 a. m. on the day before launch to correlate all opera­tional elements. This briefing was helpful since it gave us a chance to look at weather, radar, camera, and recovery force status. We also had the opportunity to review the control procedures to be used during flight emergencies as well as any late inputs of an operational nature. This briefing was extremely valuable to me in correlating all of the details at the last minute.