Customer Reviews

For Spacious Skies: The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Scott Carpenter has the worst reputation of the Mercury Seven. Chris Kraft's book "Flight" dedicates a complete chapter to attacking Carpenter. Using numerous footnotes, the book references many NASA reports which cite a mechanical failure which nearly doomed his mission.

The book seems to be a family history written by Carpenter's daughter, Kris Stoever. Thus, the reader must adjust to reading about Carpenter in the third person. Carpenter does take over in the chapters about his flight, writing in the first person. Adding to the difficulty reading the book, the writers assume that the reader can keep track of the year different events happened. However, the story is not chronilogical, so one must guess at the year when signifigant events (child birth, transfer to a new Navy base) occur. Too bad this book did not do a better job of completing the timeline for the reader. Particularly surprising his how Carpenter's last three marriages are summarized in a 6-line paragraph on the second to last page.

I recommend reading this book if you want to hear Carpenter's view of his flight. But be prepared to for a bumpy ride, as the book is not pulled together into the consistent story one would expect.

My interest in manned spacecraft was first piqued by the much-delayed Mercury flight of John Glenn, and I followed the subsequent 1962 mission of Scott Carpenter aboard his Aurora 7 spacecraft with even greater enthusiasm. As the decades passed and other Mercury astronauts wrote their autobiographies, I began to wonder if Scott Carpenter was ever going to tell his story, which I have always found to be far more exciting and multi-dimensional than those told by most of his colleagues. I was certainly not disappointed. "For Spacious Skies" is a truly wonderful and well written book, and gives an enjoyable background to a man about whom there has often been much speculation and interest - particularly in recent years when a certain NASA flight controller decided to vent his spleen on Carpenter and his Mercury mission in his own memoirs. This book is, in part, an obvious response to this criticism, and certainly clears the decks in many ways. Better written and far more readable than most of the other Mercury Seven astronaut biographies, this is a touching and often dramatic account of the life of a man who is regarded as one of the true pioneers and adventurers of spaceflight. Dealt many poor hands in life, he nevertheless seized his opportunities when they came along, and his resolve comes through loud and clear in this book. While many space enthusiasts and historians know that Scott Carpenter's story will, sadly, never be free of the controversies that attend his life and his single Mercury orbital mission, his flight should nevertheless be remembered as a very important and major contribution to the state of spaceflight knowledge in those early days, when brave men rode rockets that had a worrying reputation for blowing up. He and his co-author daughter Kris have now set the record straight on those controversies with the same intensity, determination and focus that characterized his time as an astronaut, and later as an aquanaut researcher in the service of his nation. No collection of astronaut autobiographies and biographies could ever be considered complete without this wonderful, evocative and powerful book.

I love reading about flying in space. And this book by a real hero is good. But not great. It is mostly written by his daughter, in the third person. You don't get that 'up close' feel. You get slighty dry text. I did learn about an amazing time, an amazing journey, but would have liked a little more.

If you love this subject, then this is a must have book. But if are new to reading about the early space program, there are better books to start with. Follow some of the links, search a little, and then come back and get this book if you are hooked.

Scott Carpenter's autobiography, written with his daughter, Kris Stoever, is the last, long awaited testament from the Mercury astronauts. Along with Deke Slayton's and Mike Cassutt's "Deke!", it is possibly the most informative of these rememberances. The book is more accurately detailed than "Schirra's Space", better grounded in facts than Shepard's "Moon Shot", more interactive than John Glenn's memoir, and ...uh...let's say, far surpasses Cooper's "Keeping Faith".
Carpenter's book is footnoted throughout, and the authors have made many references to other credible manuscripts to support their recollections of the time. Personal recollections from Gene Kranz are referenced at least once, and both John Glenn and Wally Schirra proofread the manuscript prior to publication.
Scott Carpenter's life has been overall, a great experience tinged with personal losses. His parents lived apart, his mother suffered from t.b., his father's approval always needed to be earned. Marriage's have brought the promise of secure relationships, but have not lasted over time. One senses the deepest loss in his relationship with Rene, who documented much of his personal history and the contemporary truths of the Mercury years. The overall sense is that two sharply intellectual adults somehow outgrew each other, when they still complimented the other so well. Rene's journals, it is revealed, provided Tom Wolfe with a great deal of his impressions for "The Right Stuff", some of which was re-written as "the wrong stuff" according to Carpenter and Stoever.
Of course, the real meat of the book is Scott's recollection of the mission of "Aurora 7", and the keen disappointment in having to displace Deke Slayton in what should have been his moment of glory. How does one enjoy his own great moment in the gloomy pallor of a friend's defeat? Nobody liked what happened to Deke, nobody, including Scott and back up pilot Schirra, liked the reassignments. Management was blindsided by John Glenn's super-celebrity power, fresh and wieldy. Scott Carpenter was thrust into a crammed flight plan, a management team which was waiting to pounce upon any perceived "screw ups", and a spacecraft with serious mechanical flaws, which began to appear at launch. Did Scott Carpenter "malfunction", as Chris Kraft contends in an entire chapter of his own book? Scott readily admits trying to squeeze every science minute he could from the flight, and making that his priority. Voice recordings and bio-med data show that the pilot was aware of the situation he was in during re-entry. The fact that he brought his spacecraft back intact is cited as evidence of a pilot in control. Kraft gets his well-earned respect too, but the feisty nature of the flight controller is referred to again and again. And while Carpenter did not fly again, the choice appears to have been his own, and not one imposed upon him. Readers will have to divine that truth for themselves. Overall the authors have attempted to remain measured, objective, and fair in dealing with Carpenter's contemporaries.
"For Spacious Skies" is imperative reading for space historians. It is candid, tells much about the elite group of men and women who found themselves cultivated by the Kennedy White House, and thrust into the glory years of space flight. The extra effort in backing up statements with other records and recollections sets this book apart from similar astronaut biographies.
Well done.

I come predisposed to liking this book, having worked closely with Scott Carpenter in 1990 as an editor/book doctor on his first book, a novel entitled STEEL ALBATROSS. Scott is charming, down-to-earth, and endlessly fascinated by the way things work, and what is possible in the future, never dwelling on past successes, and without the tiniest bit of an inflated ego. In short, he was a great guy to know and to work with. But having just finished FOR SPACIOUS SKIES, I have a new measure of respect for him. What a childhood he endured--from his family situation to financial hardships. It is enough to make you cry. But perhaps that is where his immense strength of character was formed, and his ability to overcome virtually any obstacle. Every part of Scott's personal story is fascinating--from the tales of his pioneer forebears to the incredible selection process for the first seven astronauts, to his famous (or infamous) flight in Aurora 7--and readers will come away with an appreciation for the difficulties not only of the early days of the space program, but of just what it took to get there. An integral part of the story are the two main women featured--Scott's brave and determined mother, Toye, and his smart, funny, and strong first wife, Rene. Without their presence, FOR SPACIOUS SKIES would not be as powerful a book as it is. Congratulations, Scott. I've waited a long time for you to write this book. You have the Write Stuff, indeed.

This is an excellent book about a true American hero. The story of Carpenter's early years in Boulder, Colorado would be worth reading even if he had not gone on to become an astronaut. Very well written.

Having just finished reading a train wreck (aka Tom Stafford's almost incomprehensible "We have Capture") and with lingering memories of Gordo Cooper's bizarre & error-filled "Leap of Faith", I wasn't holding out much hope for Carpenter's book ... I couldn't have been more wrong.

"For Spacious Skies" written by Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris Stoever is the most intensely personal and one of the best-written of the astronaut biographies - ranking right up there with Collins' "Carrying the Fire" and Cernan's "Last Man on the Moon."

Carpenter's unusual childhood - a combination of a very ill mother and an absentee distant father - is covered in painstaking detail through amazing collection of personal letters and recollections.

Carpenter also provides great insight into the Mercury astronaut selection process and details the impact of 'sudden fame' on the astronauts' families. Of interest to space scholars is Carpenter's account of the sudden-grounding of Deke Slayton resulting in his (Carpenter's) unexpected elevation to flight status - over the strenuous objections of a less-than-pleased Wally Schirra.

Unfairly dismissed as a 'lightweight' by many of his colleagues for his near-disasterous Mercury mission, Carpenter sets the record straight. He outlines the myriad of problems and hardware failures during his 1962 mission and their impact on his flight - for instance, the cabin temperature in his spacecraft exceeded 100 degrees F during most of his flight. He also blows holes in the long-standing myth propogated by Flight Director Chris Kraft that Carpenter somehow 'bungled' his flight and refocuses much of the blame back on Kraft himself.

"For Spacious Skies" is detailed enough for space enthusiasts but, more importantly, the book is an intriguing personal portrait that will fascinate casual readers as well.

Highly recommended!

If you're interested in the early days of NASA and the story behind the original seven astronauts, then you'll want to read this book. Told only as an insider can do, For Spacious Skies is a worthy addition to the books written by the other original astronauts.
Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris Stoever do a masterful job of pulling together a story much larger than the book that tells the story. From Scott's early days growing up in a home situation not considered normal for the time, to his early days in the Navy and then his application and acceptance into the astronaut program, the book is filled with insights and eye opening stories.
Balanced in the picture it paints of NASA and the other astronauts, this is a must read. It is certain to take its place with the other books about this era and stand as an equal to them.

Scott Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts on April 9, 1959 and flew the second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. This flight was only the fourth manned launch for the United States. During his flight aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft, he made three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles for a total flight time of 4 hours and 54 minutes. With the exception of Deke Slayton, who was sidelined with heart arrhythmia, Scott Carpenter is the only Mercury Seven astronaut who only made one spaceflight. As one would probably expect, including this reader, with such a small amount of space flight to his name that there could hardly be much to write about. I must, however, admit I was wrong and Scott Carpenter and his daughter have written a wonderful and extremely interesting book about his life from his birth to his leaving NASA.

The book opens with quite a lengthy section about Scott Carpenter's childhood from age two when he left New York and moved to Colorado through his high school years, which is about a fifth of the book. Such a long section devoted to one's youth is atypical of most astronaut biographies, however, this portion book serves an excellent introduction to the man's character. In contrast to the other Mercury Seven astronauts who came from the traditional 1920's family setting, he was raised by maternal grandparents, because of an absent father and a mother who suffered tuberculosis. He feels that this upbringing gave him the abilities to become an astronaut, but also led to him to three failed marriages ending in divorced and a final fourth marriage. .

A few years after he enters high school, the United States becomes involved in World War II and upon graduation he joins the Navy's V12 program where receives pilot training and a college education. Even though the war ends before he sees combat, he eventually chooses a career as Navy pilot which moves him through a variety of interesting assignments from patrol aircraft to test piloting.

The remaining half of the book covers the selection process of the Mercury 7 group, the selection, the subsequent training and his eventual three-orbit flight. This section contains much more information on the selection process and training of the Mercury 7 astronauts than any other first hand account. Very little, however, is devoted to his post-flight life other than a few pages. In this section, many of the questions that have dogged him since his selection are answered. For example, "Why was he chosen especially when one compares his flight and test piloting record to those of his peers?" "Why did he only fly once?" and well as other question are addressed. I'll leave it to the readers to discover the answers to these questions. I promise you'll be surprised.

Those familiar with the Chris Kraft book, Flight, know that Mr. Kraft has an extremely low opinion of Scott Carpenter and his skill at piloting a spacecraft. In this book, Scott Carpenter recounts his spaceflight, using both his personal recollection and ground to air and air to ground transcripts which allows the reader to make up his mind on who is blame. It is has always been my opinion that the truth usually lies in between the two.

As I said earlier, I was amazed that the astronaut with the shortest amount of total flight time could actually write a book about his life as an astronaut. I must, however, admit I was wrong and Scott Carpenter along his daughter have written a wonderful and extremely interesting book that definitely is one of the better astronaut biographies.

M. Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris have certainly written a fascinating biography that is unlike most others I have read about astronauts. For starters, it is written mostly in the third person. I asked Scott about that recently and he said that was a decision by Kris to do that. I must say, it was risky to go that route with an autobiography. But from the standpoint of what the story was trying to tell, I think it was worth the risk since this is more then just a biography about Scott as it discusses his early life, his relatives and the early developments of the Mercury space program. As such, you get so much more here then just the life story of a Mercury astronaut.

Carpenter's life was certainly an interesting one. Born in New York, he moved back to Colorado as a very young child with his mom while she battled the effects of TB (a battle which she fought for far longer then anyone would have predicted as she didn't die until after Scott's Mercury flight). His father remained apart from his life for the most part as he spent his childhood being raised by his grandparents on both sides of his family. A well grounded education, coupled with living a very healthy youth in Colorado produced a smart individual with the body of an athlete who could have done anything in life he wanted when WW2 provided him with the calling to join the military. Unable to see combat in the big war due to delays in his flight training, Scott's flying talents didn't get utilized until Korea when he was part of a P2V Neptune patrol bomber unit. Later, he became a test pilot until a lucky set of circumstances landed him in a prime spot as one of the Mercury 7 astronauts. But then again, that is still just the beginning of the story.

Scott's Aurora 7 flight is told in the first person and it gives a full description of what happened in orbit from his perspective as well as discussing some technical problems that weren't fully understood until after the flight (such as a fault with the attitude control system on the spacecraft, which resulted in a higher fuel useage when operated in automatic mode). To me at least, this description coupled with information printed in other sources paints a much more accurate picture IMHO of what happened to get Scott about 200 miles off course then what has been described in other early biographies about the space program. It just goes to show it is always a good idea to get the story from more then one viewpoint.

Not too much is discussed about Scott's work on the Sealab project (certainly not in the depth that Mercury was discussed). But it is mentioned since that more then anything seemed to have more to do with his not flying another space flight then what happened on Aurora 7 (read it and make your own conclusion). Scott certainly has a unique perspective among other astronauts from the Mercury days and it seems to me that if he were a lot younger and flying shuttle missions, he might make a perfect mission specialist, even though he could certainly fill the role of a commander or a pilot as well.

Probably the most insight I got from this book was a looking into the life of a military family from the 1950s, while they were trying to raise three young children. Those readers who have been in similar situations (regardless of the branch of service) will probably recognize the situations where the wife tries to raise the children at home in base housing while the husband is off to some of the most interesting duty stations in the world and dealing with his own set of challenges as an officer in the Navy. It certainly shows that the plights of military families are by no means unique (and my mom had similar tales to tell from her days as an Army wife while Dad was off on TDY assignments).

Throw that same family into the media circus known as the Mercury program and things get a bit more interesting. At that point the families that were hoping to live a private life, raising kids and serving their country got thrusted into almost a rock star status. They had more money as a result, but not every change was good and marriages tended to suffer as a result (Scott's marriage was no exception).

So if you are just looking for something that JUST talks about an astronaut's experiences in the Mercury program, this book probably isn't for you. Granted you do get a lot of useful Mercury information, but in addition you get an almost complete tapestry on what made Scott Carpenter tick and the lives he touched. You won't get the cliches of "Duty Honor Country" either. We all know that astronauts are patriots, but the book doesn't rub the reader's nose in it. Probably the closest I can compare this book to in terms of other astronaut bio reads is the Neil Armstrong biography "First Man". But both books are unique in their perspectives.

For the sheer enjoyment I got reading this book, I do give it five stars. I agree it isn't a read for everyone. But if you don't go in with any preconceived notions, then it makes for a much more enjoyable read.

My own copy is the original hardcover, but the most recent printing of the book includes a special epilog chapter which talks a bit about a similarity of emotions that were experienced during the reentries of Aurora 7 and STS-107. The outcomes of the two were very different, but people who weren't alive during the Mercury program don't remember that there was a bit of public uncertainty that existed when Scott's spacecraft landed long with low fuel. Mercury control had more data, but the press and the general public didn't know much at all. Fast forward to February 2003 and a similar uncertainty fell over the public when Columbia didn't arrive at KSC when it should have and nobody knew anything until the first footage of its breakup appeared on national TV. In terms of the Carpenter biography, this epiloge doesn't seem like a good fit. But, by using one experience to shed emotional light on the other, it does help showcase what families of astronauts feel and experience when loved ones take the ride into space knowing full well that they may not come back alive. As such, it is helpful to get the family perspective as well.