WALLY SCHIRRA'S LAUNCHPAD EMERGENCY

A clip from the Discovery Channel series "Rocket Science". Cmdr. Schirra deals with a launch pad emergency prior to conducting the first two-vehicle rendezvous in space. (Full series available at www.foolishearthling.com)

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• space
• Schirra
• Gemini
• astronaut
• hero
• rendezvous
• orbit
• 60s
• Mercury
• abort
• disaster
• Titan
• mission
• rocket
• science
• Lennick
• adventure
• Emergency
• Gemini (astrology)

[Cellmate412162]

I have one question. I know that in the space shuttle program the launch pad is equipped with a fire suppression system that activates when a pad abort happens. Back in the 60's, did NASA had such a system?

[sciencehighway]

@Cellmate412162

NASA's early manned programs Mercury and Gemini launched from Canaveral Air Station pads retrofitted with modified Air Force flight test safety protocols. Far more attention was paid during construction of dedicated Apollo facilities such as Pad 39

(from which the Shuttles would also launch), especially in the wake of the Apollo One pad fire. However in the case of Gemini VI, fire suppression was less of an issue than the clouds of toxic fumes from Titan's hypergolic engines.

[pinz2022]

@sciencehighway

How did we ever get away with it? An adolescent country atop an infant technology?

[sciencehighway]

@pinz2022 Great question, and one without a simple answer. In fact we did a 13 part Discovery Channel series about the Space Race (from which this clip and many others on this channel hail) and I still feel we barely scratched the surface. With limited characters remaining though the quick and dirty answer is this: We just decided to go.

[C0rix]

he was my uncle. never actually met him but still pretty cool have a famous uncle lol rip wally

[sciencehighway]

@C0rix

Wow. I'm sorry you never got a chance to meet him. The few hours we spent together while filming our Discovery Channel series back in 2002 are among the greatest memories of my career. You should be very proud.

cheers,

Michael

[mashamorgan]

RIP in Wally !!

[scharwenka1850]

Great tribute. Great man.

[pinz2022]

@sciencehighway

Like JFK said: "We do these things...not because they are easy, but because they are hard!"

I want to rediscover our animal spirits.

[pinz2022]

@C0rix

Two men locked in a phone booth for two whole weeks...

Great God! I'm still trying to imagine the stink! There are a few shots of them in their undies when they were on the job. They were young then, so it's not a problem...



[RalphReagan]

@Cellmate412162 the ejection seats were supposed to go out of the area faster than the fireball expanded.

[spacepatrolman]

@MrSantacm Hey oradell nelson riddles father had a harware store in oradell he went to ridgewood highschool that was in 38 then he played trombone with a local band down the shore then some major band picked him up and the rest became history the fire in gemmini that killed gus grissom was caused by somebody leaving the socket from a socket wrench in the space capsule causing a short circuit

[1MtnBoy]

I grew up watching these guys in space !!! AWESOME just AWESOME !