I’m feeling a little melancholy tonight, so I hope you’ll forgive a longer than usual posting.
My dad worked at Cape Canaveral for many years, and nearly everyone in my school was the child of a Cape employee… In February 1962 my class was glued to the TV one kid’s mom had lugged into the school, and when the countdown was down to three minutes the entire school ran 300’ off campus, crossed US 1, and stood onto the bank of the Indian River, where we were directly across the river from the Cape. A few moments later the flames from the lift-off were visible, and a few moments after that we could see the Atlas rocket in the briliant blue sky. There was ooh’ing and ahh’ing and applause from us and from the dozens of adults who’d stopped their cars right on US 1 and hopped out to see the launch.
Most of us school kids had been in town just since 1959, when the Cape was doing massive hiring. We’d all seen a dozen or more rocket launches (our NASA-employed parents usually herded us out onto porches and lawns to look skyward in time to see the rockets or their flame-y lift-offs (but I don’t think any of us were old enough on that sunny February day to realize we were watching a major historical event.
Not many people today seem to know just how totally seat-of-the-pants some of those early missions were. The computer systems that ran them were less powerful than my smartphone is today. There was a reason all the original Mercury 7 astronauts had to have been test pilots in order to qualify for the program – in a lot of ways the Mercury flights were also test flights.
John Glenn was a genuine hero, and he deserved every accolade he received. His passing has taken me on a long memory lane trip today, from those early launches through many of the shuttle flights. I now live 120 miles from the Cape, but on clear days I was often able to see the contrails of the shuttle launches. Godspeed, Senator Glenn, and thank you for your brave service to our country.
“The Senate Ethics Committee ruled that the involvement of Glenn in the scheme was minimal, and the charges against him were dropped. He was only criticized by the Committee for ‘poor judgment.’”
@f00l Oh yeah! Cocoa Beach, especially in the mid-60’s, was a swingin’ place to be. It wasn’t all that uncommon to find one or more of the astronauts holding court at one of the popular “watering holes.” They were relatively approachable celebrities, in an era where that still meant somewhat-awed civility.
Or so I read and heard. I was in my late teens, living at home, car-less, and in a circle of friends who were [sigh] not known as partiers.
Last of the Original Seven.
An era has passed into history.
Wow, first time I’m hearing about it.
All of the above.
@PlacidPenguin Just what I was about to say.
@PlacidPenguin Agreed.
@PlacidPenguin same here
As badass awesome as he was, he still seemed humble.
Looks like he lived a life of no regrets.
I’m feeling a little melancholy tonight, so I hope you’ll forgive a longer than usual posting.
My dad worked at Cape Canaveral for many years, and nearly everyone in my school was the child of a Cape employee… In February 1962 my class was glued to the TV one kid’s mom had lugged into the school, and when the countdown was down to three minutes the entire school ran 300’ off campus, crossed US 1, and stood onto the bank of the Indian River, where we were directly across the river from the Cape. A few moments later the flames from the lift-off were visible, and a few moments after that we could see the Atlas rocket in the briliant blue sky. There was ooh’ing and ahh’ing and applause from us and from the dozens of adults who’d stopped their cars right on US 1 and hopped out to see the launch.
Most of us school kids had been in town just since 1959, when the Cape was doing massive hiring. We’d all seen a dozen or more rocket launches (our NASA-employed parents usually herded us out onto porches and lawns to look skyward in time to see the rockets or their flame-y lift-offs (but I don’t think any of us were old enough on that sunny February day to realize we were watching a major historical event.
Not many people today seem to know just how totally seat-of-the-pants some of those early missions were. The computer systems that ran them were less powerful than my smartphone is today. There was a reason all the original Mercury 7 astronauts had to have been test pilots in order to qualify for the program – in a lot of ways the Mercury flights were also test flights.
John Glenn was a genuine hero, and he deserved every accolade he received. His passing has taken me on a long memory lane trip today, from those early launches through many of the shuttle flights. I now live 120 miles from the Cape, but on clear days I was often able to see the contrails of the shuttle launches. Godspeed, Senator Glenn, and thank you for your brave service to our country.
@magic_cave Thank you for sharing that memory with us. I was always glued to the tv when there was a shuttle launch!
@magic_cave You share great stories like that anytime you want. Thank you!
I guess he just acted “improperly” as a member of the Keating 5 that was one of the biggest financial scandals in US history at the time.
Corruption is corruption no matter how high you fly.
“The Senate Ethics Committee ruled that the involvement of Glenn in the scheme was minimal, and the charges against him were dropped. He was only criticized by the Committee for ‘poor judgment.’”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five#Glenn_and_McCain:_cleared_of_impropriety_but_criticized_for_poor_judgment
I feel like I need to reread The Right Stuff now
For all his achievements, I find most admirable that he was married to his wife for 73 years.
@freidkin And he faced temptation like few people ever will!
@jqubed
They had a major groupie following. The groupies liked to “collect” them.
Houston. Florida. 1960’s.
Party.
@f00l Oh yeah! Cocoa Beach, especially in the mid-60’s, was a swingin’ place to be. It wasn’t all that uncommon to find one or more of the astronauts holding court at one of the popular “watering holes.” They were relatively approachable celebrities, in an era where that still meant somewhat-awed civility.
Or so I read and heard. I was in my late teens, living at home, car-less, and in a circle of friends who were [sigh] not known as partiers.
He was floating in a most peculiar way…
2016 started off with the loss of the Starman, and finished with the loss of our first Astronaut.
Fuck 2016.
@PocketBrain Fuck, indeed.
His bad-ass scale went to 11.
He had a perfect meh button-click streak.
We will miss you, ass-magnet!
Found out from a friend that Glenn still got his annual flight-ready physical every year until 5 years ago. Flight ready at age 90. That’s bad ass.
Ted Williams was his wing man during ww2
his corpse.
what? too soon?
@mehtherfucker
Go back to your seat in the deceased baby joke section of the spacecraft, please.
@f00l This goat is best goat.
@mikey
Apologizes
@f00l for being excellent
Goat. @f00l is to blame.
Married to high school sweetheart for more than 70 years!!!