MEETING WITH THE ASTRONAUTS

(Project Mercury-Man-in-Space Program)

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1959

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS,

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, in room B-214, New House Office Building, at 10:28 a.m., Hon. Overton Brooks (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. We are in executive session.

We are certainly pleased to have these distinguished guests of the committee this morning. We want to talk to them freely in executive session here because none of this will be reported in the press unless it is approved for release by the NASA.

Mr. MILLER. Special Subcommittee No. 1 will leave here at 8:30. We invite you to go with us to the Bureau of Standards. We are leaving Friday morning. We will have lunch there, then look over their new site in the afternoon, and return around 4 o'clock. Any of you who want to go are welcome.

The CHAIRMAN. It is a very important responsibility, and I hope all of the members of the committee who can go will take advantage of Mr. Miller's invitation.

JAMES GLEASON, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE

ADMINISTRATION

Mr. GLEASON. Mr. Chairman, we are very pleased to have this opportunity to bring up the astronauts to visit with the members of the committee. You have had on several occasions a presentation on the technical phases of Project Mercury. We thought there might be some desire on the part of the members of the committee to question the astronauts personally, to get their views of their program, their training, and we are very happy to be here with you today. This is all that I have to say.

The CHAIRMAN. We want to ask them, as you say, a few questions. You haven't organized your astronauts into president, vice president, or chairman or vice chairman or secretary or anything of that sort, have you?

Who is the spokesman?

Mr. GLEASON. Not officially. They can all speak for themselves. You have, I believe, in front of you a picture of the group with the names of each of them.

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to ask Mr. Carpenter to open the proceedings. I have a question or two. I would like to ask him how his training is working out and what is his reaction to the astronauts' training schedule.

ASTRONAUT MALCOM S. CARPENTER

Mr. CARPENTER. I feel that our time is being very well used. I believe that the training schedule as it is being put together by the people in charge of the project is all inclusive.

The CHAIRMAN. It is in line with what you think is appropriate for a training schedule of this character?

Mr. CARPENTER. I can't think of anything that has been neglected. The CHAIRMAN. Of course, you know you are blazing a new trail and there is not much precedence to go by. But certainly your schedule contemplates aeronautics, doesn't it, as well as astronautics? Mr. CARPENTER. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Are they working you hard? Are they feeding you well?

Mr. CARPENTER. Yes, and yes-although being fed is my wife's job. The CHAIRMAN. Now, are there any questions?

Mr. CHENOWETH. Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Chenoweth.

Mr. CHENOWETH. I think it is fitting you should have called upon Mr. Carpenter first. We take pardonable pride in Colorado in the fact we have two boys here in this group, Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Cooper. Mr. Carpenter is from Boulder, Colo., where he was born and raised and attended school. Mr. Cooper considers Carbondale his home; so we take great pride in that fact, Mr. Chairman. These are two fine young men.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Fulton suggests you left out Pennsylvania and I suggest they left out Louisiana.

Mr. OSMERS. Mr. Chairman, they did not leave out New Jersey. I am very proud that Walter Schirra is one of the astronauts in training at the present time.

Mr. FULTON. I was going to compliment the Congressmen and say that we on the Republican side are very proud of two astronautsand Mr. Chenoweth of Colorado, who is also a very high-flying, good Congressman.

The CHAIRMAN. I want to say this to the astronauts. The committee wants to cooperate with you and with the NASA. We want to make this program most successful in every respect. We want to give our full cooperation. I am sure I speak for every member of the committee when I say we all want to cooperate with you to the very fullest so that the program will not only be pleasant, but will be very successful to everyone.

Mr. ANFUSO. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say this: That while they left out the most important State in the Union, the largest State in the Union as far as population is concerned, New York is considered the capital of the world. So you men are really pioneers in this

world project, this universal project. I want to say you are all welcome to New York at any time as my guests.

The CHAIRMAN. You represent them all now. Mr. Fulton.

Mr. FULTON. I do think we should ask you men some questions seri

ously.

Mr. ROUSH. Would you yield so I could get Indiana in here?
Mr. FULTON. I yield to you.

Mr. ROUSH. Mr. Chairman, Indiana is the crossroad of America. Mr. Chairman, the motto of Indiana happens to be "The Crossroads of America." We truly are. We are very proud to have Captain Grissom among this group. He not only was raised in Indiana, but he was educated in one of the finest universities of this country, Purdue University. We are very proud of him and glad he is among the seven men. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. We are certainly happy to have him. Mr. Fulton is recognized again.

Mr. FULTON. I think we should have some serious questions. As you men know, you are an outstanding group in our country and probably in our country's history. While we are having some good humor about it, nevertheless we respect you for your daring and for your seriousness of purpose.

Secondly, we on this committee want Project Mercury to be a success. That means you will have our full cooperation, as the chairman has said.

Thirdly, the difference between us and the people we are competing with is we want you to be safe and we want this flight to be a successful one in that sense, to you personally and to your families. I want to ask each of you whether you feel, first, that the training is adequate, and secondly, that enough precautions are being taken for your personal safety and for the good of the experiment?

While we want you to be the first ones in space, nevertheless we want each of you taken care of. So, I would like to hear from each of you, briefly, how how you feel about the program. Are enough safety measures being taken? Is it proceeding at an orderly research and development pace? Are the considerations and factors that should be taken into account being taken as far as you are concerned?

I say this is the first time we have had your point of view. We have had the scientists' views many times. I would like each one to give his own feeling about it. This record, while it is not public, may sometime be made public so that you should consider that this is your philosophy or your approach to space and also your feeling about how this experiment is being conducted.

If something should ever go wrong, it will be quickly referred to, let me tell you. So it is a serious statement that you must make.

Thank you.

Mr. GLEASON. May I suggest, Mr. Fulton, that in line with your suggestion, we go right down the group, starting from the right with Mr. Shepard. Did you understand the questions?

ASTRONAUT ALAN B. SHEPARD, JR.

Mr. SHEPARD. Yes.

In answer to your question, sir, I have been very favorably impressed with the NASA since I have been associated with it. This

favorable impression has accrued from some of the aspects of which you just spoke, the steps and the pains they have taken to provide essentially parallel systems in many areas in this missile-capsule com

bination we are interested in.

Mr. FULTON. I would rather have it not in the context of complimenting an agency, but are you satisfied with the precautions for safety, with the research and development plans, with the alternative methods that might be used? Is the best one being used?

How do you approach this space program? Will you give it to us sort of in that order?

Mr. SHEPARD. Yes, sir, I am satisfied-in one word. Did you want more?

Mr. FULTON. On the safety factors particularly. I would rather have you spell it out.

Mr. SHEPARD. I think we could use an analogy here that all of us actually have been involved in test flying before, as you may know. We have accepted certain calculated risks-risks calculated by ourselves and by technical advisers. I don't feel that the risk involved in this program is any greater than risks that we have undertaken previously in our work.

Mr. FULTON. There are no unnecessary risks being taken?

Mr. SHEPARD. It is pretty hard to give an unqualified answer to that question. I think there is a risk walking across the street, really. Mr. FULTON. Every risk is being guarded against, and no unnecessary risks are being included in the program?

Mr. SHEPARD. Everything is being considered, yes.

Mr. FULTON. May we hear the next man?
Mr. GLEASON. That is Mr. Glenn.

ASTRONAUT JOHN H. GLENN, JR.

Mr. GLENN. I think carrying this along the same line Al was talking about, in each one of the areas that goes into the projectin other words, the escape mechanism from the missile, for instance, or the wiring for the system each one of these things is proceeding along its own path here through a very definite buildup and test program. I don't think, as fresh cotton, more or less, as we are to this program here, I haven't seen any one of these systems, the buildup to these so far, that I would change a bit.

I think it is a very orderly buildup to the final meeting of all of these systems into the whole capsule. I have been very much impressed so far with the fact that they are taking great pains to make this an orderly buildup and are not skipping any big areas that we would have some apprehension about.

Mr. FULTON. So you are satisfied that every precaution for safety is being taken on behalf of everybody here?

Mr. GLENN. Yes.

Mr. FULTON. The next man.

Mr. GLEASON. Mr. Grissom.

ASTRONAUT VIRGIL I. GRISSOM

Mr. GRISSOM. I feel that the risks have been minimized. We have duplicate systems on everything and I am quite satisfied with the

way NASA is going about taking care of our safety, and is taking care of us.

Mr. FULTON. You are satisfied that the research and development is at a high enough level for this particular program?

Mr. GRISSOM. Yes.

Mr. GLEASON. Mr. Carpenter.

ASTRONAUT MALCOLM S. CARPENTER

Mr. CARPENTER. I feel that everything has been considered as far as humanly possible in a project that has never been undertaken before. We also have been guaranteed that if we, as pilots, find anything that we consider unsafe, or improperly designed, this will be corrected. This has been demonstrated to us already.

Mr. FULTON. Do you feel that all unnecessary risks have been guarded against and adequate precautions taken?

Mr. CARPENTER. I do, sir.

Mr. FULTON. Thank you. Next.

Mr. GLEASON. Mr. Cooper.

ASTRONAUT LEROY G. COOPER, JR.

Mr. COOPER. I agree, sir. I am very well satisfied that all eventualities have been thought about and discussed and studied from all angles. I am satisfied that the program is going very satisfactorily in this aspect.

Mr. GLEASON. Mr. Schirra.

ASTRONAUT WALTER M. SCHIRRA, JR.

Mr. SCHIRRA. In answer to your question, Mr. Fulton, I believe you must remember we are volunteers. If we do not feel satisfied with the research and development program, the safety aspects, it is our option to say "No." We have had full cooperation, so we are satisfied.

Mr. GLEASON. I think this is a point we might emphasize in the record. If at any time any of the volunteers want to withdraw from the program, it is their right to do so.

The CHAIRMAN. Will the gentleman yield?

I would like to ask each one so the record will show that they are volunteers.

Mr. GLEASON. They are all volunteers, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there anybody here who is not a volunteer? (Chorus of "No, sir.")

Mr. GLEASON. Mr. Slayton.

ASTRONAUT DONALD K. SLAYTON

Mr. SLAYTON. Well, sir, I can add nothing to what the other gentlemen have said. I think that every possible precaution is being taken to watch for our safety. I personally feel that there is no more risk involved than in the first flight of any normal production-type airplane which we are accustomed to flying.

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