U.S. Astronaut Shot In Doubt After Atlas Fails

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 15

U.S. Astronaut Shot In Doubt After Atlas Fails

(N .ZJ*.A -Reuter—Copyngnt) CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida), April 26. United States scientists are expected to decide later this week whether the first American astronaut should be fired into space early next month.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A.) officials are investigating the latest setback to the United States man-in-space programme after yesterday’s destruction of an Atlas rocket-booster carrying a space capsule designed to orbit the earth. NA.S.A. officials announced after the launching that the failure would not delay the first American astronaut launching, expected next Tuesday. But the explosion of the Atlas rocket-booster, because of a malfunction, came as a blow to scientists and engineers working to put an American into an orbital space flight around the earth before the end of the year, observers said The liquid-fuelled Atlas

was the rocket upon which United States plans were based to match the historic space feat of the Soviet major. Yuri Gagarin. Malfunction When the Atlas rose from its launching pad yesterday with its Mercury capsule—the exact counterpart of the vehicle in which an American astronaut would sit for an orbital flight, all appeared to be going well. About 40 seconds later, the range safety officer was forced to push a button to explode the rocket in mid-air snd send it plunging in flames into the Atlantic. A malfunction had developed in

the complicated rocketengine. The capsule, which was tc have been placed in orbit bj the Atlas and then recoverec from the sea near Bermuda was thrown clear by an automatic jettison device an<i parachuted into the ocean. Its release was the onlj successful result of the test Officials said if a man hac been in the capsule, instead of a robot, he would have been uninjured. Three American astronauts Lieutent-Colonel John Glenn Captain Virgil Grisson anc Lieutenant-Commander Alar Shepard, are to learn if one of them will make the firs' American space attempt next week. If the “green light" it given by N.A.S.A. officials the choice of one of these three men Is expected to be made on Friday or Saturday according to Associated Press. Whoever is chosen will ride in a Mercury capsule on the tip of the well-tried and proved Redstone rocket, no' an Atlas. The Redstone, far les; powerful than the Atlas, wil be the “engine’’ for the first human space flight by the United States. The American astronau will not go into orbit but wil! be shot about 100 miles above the earth from the missile centre and will descend immediately somewhere ovei the south Atlantic. He will be brought ashore by one of the many nava picket boats stationed st set to carry out the recovers operation. Captain Donald Slayton one of the seven astronauts who have been training for the last two years for a journey Into space, watched yesterday’s failure and said: "Obviously I’m disappointed. But it was very g-at>fying to find the escape system of the capsule worked «o well.”