The NASA documentary tells the story of Scott Carpenter and the Aurora 7 Mission. The Aurora 7, a Mercury-Atlas 7 rocket, was piloted by the astronaut Scott Carpenter in May of 1962. Carpenter had a five-hour mission to photograph the Earth, and, amongst other things, study liquids in a weightless environment. The film was produced by NASA. It shows several different locations: the Cape Canaveral launch site, the NASA Goddard facility, and Guaymas Mexico. The Wilbur Wright Orville Wright building also appears in the beginning of the film. Various people from the NASA centers are shown in the film, but most notably are astronauts Alan B. Shepard, John Glenn, and Scott Carpenter. The Wilbur Wright Orville Wright building appears in the background 0:33. The narrator starts at 0:38, comparing the birth of the Air Age at Kitty Hawk to the rocket and the Space Age. calling it “the symbol of the dawn of the age of man’s flight in space” 0:54. Newspaper spins into view at 1:40, showing the title “Flying Machine Soars 3 Miles In Sand Hills and Waves.” Allan B. Shepard is shown on screen entering the Freedom 7 spacecraft at 1:57. The rocket launches at 2:10. Astronaut John Glenn is shown entering the Friendship 7 at 2:53. The narrator explains that their mission was to prove that they could sustain life at orbital flight 2:57-58. Friendship 7 launches at 3:15. Astronaut Scott Carpenter is shown at 3:35. Carpenter is shown discussing his missions with a group of scientists 3:50. They approach the Aurora 7, Carpenter’s rocket at 6:15. Aurora 7 is shown painted on the rocket at 7:13. The video shows the recovery forces standing at the ready at 8:00. A small crowd of onlookers are shown at 8:38. NASA radio broadcast to start countdown to launch at 9:17. NASA control is shown at 9:44. The Precision Radar is shown at 10:13, the narrator explains that it will note every motion of the Atlas rocket at every instant of its flight. The narrator goes on to explain that “the radar information will flow instantaneously into high speed computers which have been pre-programmed with the correct trajectory data” (10:19-25). Mercury control center is shown on the screen at 11:02. T-10 seconds is at 12:47. The rocket launches at 12:58. People are shown watching on their T.V.’s at home at 13:18. Carpenter is shown in his cockpit at 14:52. Mission Control is shown celebrating at 15:04. The orbit number counter is displayed on the screen at 15:17. Carpenter describes seeing the Moon through the center of the window 15:23. The narrator says the Aurora 7 is in orbit at 15:27. Carpenter’s photographs of the burned-up Atlas is shown at 15:57. Carpenter is shown with his camera at 16:30. The horizon (the haze layer) from space is shown at 16:43.

Venus was observed at 17:02. Space particles appear on the screen from Carpenters view at 18:03. Images of the Earth from orbit are shown at 19:52. Aurora 7 approaches the California coast at 21:04. Communications blackout begins and people are shown in Mercury Control, waiting with bated breath at 26:26. The high speed mainframe computers at the Goddard Space Center are shown, they provide a landing point prediction for the rocket at 26:37. Task force plane is shown speeding to the new landing spot at 25:00. Life raft with Carpenter inside is shown floating in the water at 26:08. Helicopters and the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid is shown at 26:29. Carpenter is shown walking with rescue teams at 27:32. The destroyer USS Pierce retrieves the Aurora 7 at 27:57. Carpenter is shown being debriefed, his every word recorded on magnetic tape, and then shown receiving a medal at 28:58.

Mercury-Atlas 7, launched May 24, 1962, was the fourth crewed flight of Project Mercury. The spacecraft, named Aurora 7, was piloted by astronaut Scott Carpenter. He was the sixth human to fly in space. The mission used Mercury spacecraft No. 18 and Atlas launch vehicle No. 107-D.

The flight was for three Earth orbits, essentially a repeat of John Glenn’s Mercury-Atlas 6. However, a targeting error during reentry took the spacecraft 250 miles (400 km) off-course, delaying recovery of Carpenter and the spacecraft for an hour. Carpenter was held responsible, at least in part, for the landing error. Carpenter left NASA for the Navy SEALAB program in 1964.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com