Malcolm Scott Carpenter

The second American astronaut to enter space, Malcolm Carpenter was born on May 1st, 1925. The young Carpenter grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and was raised by a friend of the family when his single mother contracted tuberculosis. Becoming involved with aircraft at an early age, Malcolm Carpenter entered the Navy V-5 training program straight out of high school in 1943. After World War II, Carpenter went to the University of Colorado to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering, which he received in 1949.

After successfully serving during the 1950s in the midst of the Korean War, Carpenter found new assignment as a test pilot for the Navy. During his test pilot days, Carpenter flew a number of aircraft that would later become standard equipment for the Air Force and Navy. The newly formed NASA chose Carpenter as a flight candidate in August of 1958. After a process of selection, Carpenter was chosen to fly the Aurora 7 orbital mission. The flight took place on May 24th, 1962. The Aurora 7 flight was fraught with problems, and included a dangerous descent back to Earth that almost resulted in disaster.

Carpenter retired from active service on July 1st, 1969. In his later life, Carpenter produced a science fiction novel entitled The Steel Albatross.