Featured Private photos Mercury-Atlas 8 Recovery

Photos taken by crew member onboard the USS Kearsarge.
October 3, 1962
Scans of original slides, color fade corrected and cleaned with Digital ICE.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/steamarchive/albums/72157709390757626

The photos are not sharp enough to read the watches well, that could give us an exact time.
Perhaps with some imagination and comparison of different watches we can come close.
If you want to give it a shot, I can provide raw scans that got a higher dynamic range, usefull on the bright watch faces. Huge files though, without redcast correction.

 

I remember watching this as a kid on tv, that was big stuff back then. Thanks for posting these!

 

Alright, story time!

These slides were taken by Jack, who was a Navy Lieutenant at the time the photos were taken. He had several tours in Japan prior to this and bought a camera there to pursued that as a hobby. I have been talking with the seller, jack's son.

On photo 3, Jack is leaning against Hg8.

Here is part of a memoir written by his wife:

"I got up at 5:00 o' clock on Wednesday, October 3, to watch the launching from Cape Canaveral of the Mercury-Atlas 8 with Astronaut Wally Schirra.
It was the fifth United States man mission. It was so exciting! I had the radio on all day with reports. He made six orbits taking about nine hours.
I was able to see the pickup on TV in the late afternoon.

Jack's squadron had put in many hours of training in case the capsule didn't land where it was planned to come down.
However it was a perfect landing and came down near the USS Kearsarge. Jack took movies of the capsule floating down, and Schirra being helped out into the lifeboat by a couple of SEALS.
When the lifeboat came near the ship, there was much cheering and applause from the ship's crew.
Wally Schirra was first off the boat and was given a royal welcome.
Soon he was off to sick bay to be carefully checked by the doctors. He received a call from his wife and one from President Kennedy. What a thrilling day!

This next day was just as exciting for Jack because he had to honor to fly to Midway Island to pick up Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter, a close friend of Wally Schirra.
Jack was back with his passenger in less than three hours. Scott Carpenter had been on the previous launch into space. The astronauts had dinner with the Captain.
Because there was no admiral on the ship, Wally and Scott were given the Admiral's stateroom."

 

Great story thanks for posting!

 

Those who know me will realise how deeply I covet those.

 

Where you active during the Mercury program?

Jack has found the 8mm recording he took prior to the photos, will be trying to get that one as well for online publishment.

 

I'm a space geek. Was that teen with spacelfight posters on the wall, never pop stars.

 

The 8mm was shot on Kodachrome, the colours are incredibly beautiful and it makes a big impression.

It seems to be a good move to have it scanned at the FilmFabriek at the Netherlands, with their beautiful 2K scanner with wet gate, dust restoration and sharpening.

I have spoken with another collector, and he will try to synchronize the respective NASA radio broadcast with the silent 8mm footage.

It is going to be great!

 

The alien blood is leaking out in the last pic

I got excited to see 'Apollo 11' in the first bit of an 8mm movie

Turns out they were just taking movies of the TV screen

 

Still of private Mercury Atlas 8 recovery 8mm recording.
Copyright Jack.
Scanning work Niels & FilmKapitaal

 

I have got good news!


National Geographic is working on a new documentary about the Mercury program, and they have interest in the 35 mm and 8 mm material shown here.

So maybe these beautiful images can be seen by hundreds of thousands of people!

All this is of course discussed with Jack and his family.


It's all very exciting ^^

 

Bits of 8mm & behind-the-scenes footage.
Tomorrow.
I can't wait to share more.

 

Thank you for sharing, I love this stuff!