Scott Carpenter Astronaut-Aquanaut, sixth person to fly in space; the fourth American to fly in space and the second US astronaut to orbit Earth.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Scott_Carpenter_in_pressure_suit.jpg)
(http://sciencedude.blog.ocregister.com/files/2009/07/cmdr.jpg)
The United States' fourth astronaut to fly in space and the second to orbit the Earth, Carpenter, 88, died on Thursday (Oct. 10) after suffering a recent stroke.
The original Mercury 7 astronaut was being cared for at a hospice center in Denver when he passed. Carpenter was initially expected to make a full recovery from the stroke, but his condition worsened this week, sources close to his family shared.
Chosen in 1959 among NASA's first astronauts, Carpenter made his first and only spaceflight on May 24, 1962, when he became the sixth man worldwide to leave the planet.
During his Mercury-Atlas 7 mission, Carpenter circled the Earth three times, conducted some of the first astronaut science experiments, and consumed the first solid space food — small square cubes composed of chocolate, figs, and dates mixed with high-protein cereals.
"You have to realize my experience with zero-g, although transcending and more fun than I can tell you about, was, in the light of current space flight accomplishments, very brief," Carpenter said in 1999 during a NASA oral history interview. "The zero-g sensation and the visual sensation of space flight are transcending experiences, and I wish everybody could have them."
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-101013b.html
http://www.universetoday.com/105449/mercury-astronaut-scott-carpenter-dies/#ixzz2hLtASnuG
Godspeed, Scott Carpenter
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