American astronaut-aquanaut; the second U.S. astronaut to make an orbital space flight. In Aurora 7 he made the fourth Mercury flight, circling the Earth three times. He participated in two Sealab experiments, living undersea for long periods of time. He has the distinction of being the only person ever to explore both inner and outer space. Carpenter helped design the Apollo Lunar Landing Module and underwater EVA crew training. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Scott Carpenter is the son of Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Mrs. Carpenter (Florence Kelson Noxon). He attended the University of Colorado and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1949, as well as the University of Colorado Recognition Medal. Carpenter entered the U.S. Navy the same year and underwent flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He served during the Korean War in Patrol Squadron Six, flying ship surveillance, anti-submarine and mining missions in the Yellow Sea, South China Sea and Formosa Straits. He became a test pilot in 1954 after attending the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. Afterward he was assigned to the Electronics Test Division where he flew a variety of planes at the Naval Air Test Center. After attending the Navy General Line School and the Navy Air Intelligence school he was assigned as Air Intelligence Officer to the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet.
Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven U.S. astronauts on 4/09/1959. He specialized in the fields of communication and navigation and became part of the Mercury 7 mission as backup pilot for John Glenn’s first manned orbital flight. On 5/24/1962 Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth by piloting his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three Earth orbits, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles. He dramatically splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean over 200 miles from his intended landing area. He was out of contact with rescue forces for almost an hour before a search plane spotted him.
In 1964 he broke his left arm in a motorcycle accident which left him unable to rotate his arm properly and forced his removal from space flight status. In the summer of 1965 Carpenter went on leave from the space program to participate in the Navy?s Man-in-the-Sea program. He worked closely with French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and members of the Calypso team. He led two teams in the Sealab II experiment in which he lived and worked for 30 days off the coast of La Jolla, California, 205 feet under the Pacific Ocean as part of the U.S. Navy’s effort to find better rescue methods for submarines. During a forty-five day experiment he was Aquanaut Team Leader for two of the three teams of Navy men and civilians who lived at a depth of 104 feet on the ocean floor. In 1966, Carpenter returned to his duties at NASA to become the Executive Assistant to the director of the Manned Space Flight Center, active in designing the Apollo Lunar Landing Module and EVA (short for Extra Vehicular Activity, or spacewalk) crew training.
On 8/10/1967 Carpenter resigned from NASA and returned to the Navy’s Deep Submergence Systems Project during the Sealab III experiment. In 1969 leg injuries ended his deep-diving career and he retired from the Navy. He founded and was chief executive officer of Sea Sciences, Inc., a venture capital corporation active in developing programs aimed at enhanced utilization of ocean resources and improved health of the oceans. He has written two novels about the Navy SEALS, “The Steel Albatross,” and a sequel, “Deep Flight.”
Carpenter’s awards include The Legion of Merit, The Distinguished Flying Cross, The NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Astronaut Wings, University of Colorado Recognition Medal, The Collier Trophy, The New York City Gold Medal of Honor, The Elisha Kent Kane Medal, The Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo and the Numismatic Italian Award. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame on 5/11/1990.
Since retirement from the Navy in 1969, Carpenter has made his home in Colorado and New York City.
Link to Wikipedia biography