Description:

U.S.S. INTREPID NEWSLETTER REPORTS ON SCOTT CARPENTER'S "MERCURY-ATLAS 7"
Good lot of three scarce mimeographed ship's newsletters, all printed aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. INTREPID. The first, 2pp. long 4to., the May 24, 1962 "Plan of the Day", reports on that morning's launch of U.S. astronaut SCOTT CARPENTER'S "Mercury-Atlas 7" mission, which made him the fourth American and the sixth person in space. In part: "Test 65v 'Blast Off' is scheduled for 0700R this morning. If the test goes as scheduled, and three orbits are completed, 'Splash' time will be T = 4 hr and 55 minutes, or 1155R. The astronaut, LDCR SCOTT CARPENTER [sic], USN will be recovered immediately... It is planned to have INTREPID recover the astronaut..." The newsletter bears the mimeographed signature of the ships commander, who adds the (mimeographed) hand-written-message: "Welcome Aboard – Lcdr Scott Carpenter!" The second item, 4pp. long 4to., the May 25, 1962 edition of the ship's newsletter "Daily Ketcher", bears a long front-page report on the previous day's recover of the astronaut, in small part: "Lieutenant Commander M. Scott Carpenter yesterday was picked up by one of HS-3's 'Sea King' helicopters after being sighted floating in a raft 'just short of 260 miles' downrange from the Intrepid... Reliable sources remarked that Carpenter's 'overshot' was due to the fact that there had been a delay of mere seconds in the firing of Aurora-7's retro jets... Crew members of the 'Sea King' said that Astronaut Scott Carpenter was very 'exhuberant' [sic] and seemed 'eager to want to tell' about his experiences..." The third newsletter, 2pp. long 4to., the May 26 edition of the "Daily Ketcher", further reports on the aftermath of Carpenter's flight, in small part: "...But the 37-year-old spaceman from Boulder, Colorado, called his three-orbit flight a 'snap' even though he admitted that for 40 minutes at the end of it, 'No one knew where I was, and I didn't either.' Something went wrong with the Aurora-7 between Hawaii and California in the final orbit when Carpenter was getting ready to fire the retro-rockets to brake the 17,532-mile-per-hour speed of his space craft and start it back toward Earth. He had to take over manual control of the capsule at this most vital point in his flight..." All show folds and staple holes at the top-left corners, else very good. Also present are four additional "Plans of the Day" from the days immediately following Mercury-Atlas 7, with routine content, as well as seven second-generation photos depicting officers and aircraft of the Intrepid, including a shot of a Navy Sea King helicopter hovering over the Aurora-7 capsule, and a second showing Carpenter crossing the deck of the aircraft carrier in his space suit. Fifteen pieces.

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August 1, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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