Author Topic: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts  (Read 4970 times)

Offline mdrapp

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MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« on: 12/24/2007 04:22 pm »
Hi all,

A few months ago I read Scott Carpenter's (Kris Stoever's?) book For Spacious Skies.  Like many, I was annoyed at the use of the third person, but the heavy use of the transcript during the chapters on the flight made up for it somewhat.

This weekend I am reading Chris Kraft's Flight, and for whatever you get out of his chapter The Man Malfunctioned you will get this:  Chris Kraft does not like Scott Carpenter!

This is absolutely facinating to me...here we have essentially two diametrially opposed interpretations of the same spaceflight.  I'm not interested in deciding which is the "correct" version as I am sure, like many accounts, validities abound in both.  I wish I had the CAPCOM/Astronaut loops and maybe a few of the other MCC loops to get a better handle on the events.  Of course, a transcript will only give what is said, not what was thought.

I've searched the web and have come up empty.  Maybe I'm just having an off-Google day.  Has anyone located these transcripts electronically or other primary-source data that would be useful?

I've got access to the UHCL library down here....I wonder if they might have something as they have the JSC Oral History project tapes.


--Michael
--Michael

Offline Naraht

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RE: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #1 on: 12/24/2007 05:49 pm »
JSC has the mission transcripts here:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/mission_transcripts.htm

(EDIT: How odd... on inspection they don't seem to have MA-7. I'll investigate further.)

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the subject once you've gotten through them. You might also be interested in seeing Carpenter's response to Kraft's memoir:

http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/04/01/letters/letters.html

Offline Naraht

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RE: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #2 on: 12/24/2007 05:56 pm »
If you're willing to pay for it, you can get the onboard audio as part of a Spacecraft Films set:

http://www.spacecraftfilms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=14

Offline anik

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RE: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #3 on: 12/24/2007 06:12 pm »
Quote
Naraht - 24/12/2007  9:49 PM

How odd... on inspection they don't seem to have MA-7. I'll investigate further

No, see closely, they have transcripts inside Mercury-Atlas 7 Postlaunch Memorandum Report and Mercury-Atlas 7 Results of the Second U.S. Orbital Space Flight documents... :)

Offline Naraht

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RE: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #4 on: 12/24/2007 06:16 pm »
This is why two heads are better than one. Thanks. :)

Offline Rusty_Barton

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Re: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #5 on: 12/27/2007 06:28 am »
The MA-7 mission report with Air-Ground voice transcripts can be downloaded for free in PDF format from the NASA NTRS Web Server:

"RESULTS OF THE SECOND UNITED STATES MANNED ORBITAL SPACE FLIGHT, MAY 24, 1962" - PDF format.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19620004691_1962004691.pdf

Transcript of MA-7 Air-Ground Voice Communications begins on page 77 (PDF page 85).

Offline mdrapp

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Re: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #6 on: 12/29/2007 04:57 pm »
Thanks Rusty and everyone.   This is actually quite facinating.  It is difficult to get the give-and-take between Carpenter and the CAPCOMs from the transcript, although, nearing the end of the flight the CAPCOMs do seem to be inturrupting him more and more.  While my initial reading of the transcript is colored by just having read Chris Kraft's account of the mission, I felt myself saying, "You know....Carpenter is really into these fireflies....almost obsessed with them."  They kept coming up.  

Maybe rightfully so....if I were in a Mercury capsule and I kept seeing glowing particles outside my one little windows in close proximity to my spacecraft....maybe I'd be overly interested in them, too.

I may buy that Spacecraft Films DVD set...most people seem to be really pleased with them.  Plus, the audio will have the vocal inflections of Carpenter and the CAPCOMs.  That would be absolutely facinating to hear and track.   I am especially interested in the one line that begins "General Kraft...."

--Michael

Offline Naraht

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Re: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #7 on: 12/29/2007 06:03 pm »
Quote
mdrapp - 29/12/2007  5:57 PM
I may buy that Spacecraft Films DVD set...most people seem to be really pleased with them.  Plus, the audio will have the vocal inflections of Carpenter and the CAPCOMs.  That would be absolutely facinating to hear and track.   I am especially interested in the one line that begins "General Kraft...."


I'm thinking about getting the Mercury set as well. It is just a shame that they don't have the Mission Control audio for Carpenter's flight, as they do for Glenn's. Actually hearing Kraft discuss the situation with his controllers would shed still more light on the situation. I don't know whether that recording survived or not.

Offline spacecraftfilms

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Re: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #8 on: 01/14/2008 12:31 am »
The MA-7 material is actually from the onboard recorder, so there is also material there of Carpenter speaking that wasn't transmitted. He did a good deal of commentary when he was out of contact.

We looked and looked for the flight director loop for MA-7, I really wanted to include it. I don't know where I would have put it, as the set is packed as it is, but it was a desire to include it.

The MA-8 material is also from the onboard recorder.

I would have to agree with many of our customers who consider the set to be one of - if not the - best set we have done.

Mark

www.spacecraftfilms.com

Offline DaveJ576

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RE: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #9 on: 01/14/2008 03:21 am »
I have not read the books in question, but whatever the two takes on the situation may be, Deke Slayton stated that Carpenter was "unacceptable to management". He confirmed in his book that Chris Kraft was royally frakked at Carpenter and that he even called him a S.O.B. in public. Carpenter's take on the situation, however much truth may be in it, is unfortunately irrelevant. As far as Kraft and Slayton were concerned he was done for good after MA-7.
"We have a pitch and a roll program and man this baby is really going!"

Offline Naraht

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Re: MA-7, Looking for CAPCOM Transcripts
« Reply #10 on: 01/14/2008 12:53 pm »
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spacecraftfilms - 14/1/2008  1:31 AM
We looked and looked for the flight director loop for MA-7, I really wanted to include it. I don't know where I would have put it, as the set is packed as it is, but it was a desire to include it.

Interesting. I'm very glad to hear that you looked for it, although it is sad to think that it may be missing or at least misplaced.

Keep up the good work...

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