Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations. 1900 - 2003. Moving Images Relating to Military Aviation Activities. 1947 - 1984. ASTRONAUTS AT STEAD AFB, NEVADA

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Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations. 1900 - 2003. Moving Images Relating to Military Aviation Activities. 1947 - 1984. ASTRONAUTS AT STEAD AFB, NEVADA

1960

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68123

Summary: Coverage of survival training of the seven Mercury astronauts in the desert near Stead AFB. Scenes show the astronauts being taught to construct temporary shelters and fashion emergency headgear and clothing out of parachutes for protection from the sun, eating at the desert command post, making improvised sunglasses and signaling for rescue. Reel 1: 1) Scenes of astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., putting on improvised sunglasses and entering temporary shelter in the desert. 2) Temporary shelter in desert at one of the camp sites. 3) Scenes of astronauts entering and leaving comand post, going toward H-21Bs and boarding one of four parked helicopters. 4) Astronauts returning to command post after 72 hours of survival training. 5) Scenes of astronauts arriving at desert command post with H-19B flying to right overhead, discussing survival with instructors and leaving desert command post. 6) H-21BB on road with rotors turning and taking off. Reel 2: 1) Scenes of Lt. Commander Walter M. Schirra, Navy; Capt. Donald K. Slayton, AF; Capt. Virgil L. Grissom, AF; Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC; Capt. Leroy Cooper, Jr., AF; and Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter, Navy being briefed by Capt. Robert W. Weaver, Stead AFB Project Officer and OIC Survial School as they sit at table taking notes. 2) Individual scenes of Lt. Commander Walter M. Schirra, Capt. Donald K. Slayton, Capt. Virgil L. Grissom, Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., Capt Leroy G. Cooper, Jr., Lt Malcolm S. Carpenter, Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Capt. Keith D. Young, Academic Instructor and Col. Richard Carr, Deputy Base Commander of Stead AFB. 3) Scenes of desert survival school instructors M/Sgt. Erber, S/Sgt. Harrington, and A/1C Walters and NASA Project Officer, Col. Keith Lindell, NASA Engineer, Roy Zedekar, Navy School of Aviation Medicine, Doctor Donald Stulken, and AF Flight Surgeon, Lt. Col. W. K. Douglas. 4) Scenes of astronauts eating breakfast at desert command post and watching construction of temporary shelters. 5) M/Sgt Watkins instructing astronauts on how to make protective clothing and headgear out of parachute. Reel 3: 1) Astronauts leaving Base Operations at Stead AFB, Nevada, boarding H-21B and in flight to desert command post. 2) Astronauts improvising protective clothing at desert command post. 5) Food service personnel from Stead AFB preparing meals at desert command posts and Astronauts and service personnel eating. 4) Astronauts preparing for breakfast. Reel 4: 1) Scenes of shelters and astronauts crawling in and out of and lying down under temporary desert shelters. 2) Astronauts eating at desert command post. 3) Astronauts stretching parachute on sand as instructor gives instructions on making rescue signals. 4) Instructor, S/Sgt. Brown, standing on parachute showing astronauts how to signal with silver suit. 5) Instructors building desert shelters as astronauts watch. Reel 5: 1) Astronaut Schirra at temporary shelter area with medic Airman Bartz and instructor. 2) Astronaut Cooper adjusting his protective clothing and entering shelter. 3) Astronaut Cooper coming out of temporary shelter. 4) Astronaut Grissom inside temporary shelter. 5) Astronaut Shepard crawling out of temporary shelter and putting on sun glasses. 6) Instructor and Astronaut Shepard talking by shelter. 7) Astronaut Glenn flashing signals with hand mirror and donning improvised headgear. 8) Astronaut Slayton crawling out of temporary shelter and signaling with hand mirror. 9) Instructor carrying water ration to Astronaut Cooper in shelter beside simulated apace capsule. 10) Medic bringing water ration to Astronaut Glenn's camp. 11) Simulated space capsule at Astronaut Carpenters camp. 12) Simulated space capsule and Dr. Donald Stulken's shelter. 13) Astronaut Grissom's camp. 14) Flight Surgeon Douglas talking to Astronaut Shepard in temporary shelter. 15) Scenes of Astronaut Slayton's and Astronaut Schirra's camps. 16) Medic rationing water. Reel 6: 1) H-21B coming in and landing at desert survival area. 2) Astronauts debarking from H-21B and walking toward desert command post. 3) Desert survival instructor demonstrating and astronauts making emergency headgear from parachute. 4) Astronauts going to individual survival capsules. 5) Scenes of H-21B exhaust as engine starts, rotors turning and helicopter taxiing and taking off. Good

Film Reel

eng, Latn

National Archives at College Park

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6497422

National Archives at College Park

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

Grissom, Virgil I. (Virgil Ivan), 1926-1967

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6xg9qsf (person)

Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (b. April 3, 1926-d. Jan. 27, 1967) was born in Mitchell, Indiana. An Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, received his wings in March 1951. He flew 100 combat missions in Korea in F-86s with the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and, upon returning to the United States in 1952, became a jet instructor at Bryan, Texas. In August 1955, he entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to study Aeronautical Engineering. He attended the T...

Glenn, John, 1921-2016

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6t54gzv (person)

John Herschel Glenn, Jr. (b. July 18, 1921, Cambridge, Guernsey County-d. December 8, 2016, Columbus, Ohio), astronaut and U.S. Senator from Ohio. He attended public schools of New Concord, Ohio, and later graduated from Muskingum College. Glenn served in the United States Marine Corps from 1942 to 1965, and was later a test pilot and joining the United States space program in 1959. He was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. In February 1962, Glenn became the first American...

Carpenter, M. Scott, 1925-2013

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ms5f5v (person)

Scott Carpenter was born in Boulder, Colorado, on May 1, 1925, the son of research chemist Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Florence Kelso Noxon Carpenter. He attended the University of Colorado from 1945 to 1949 and received a B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Carpenter was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1949. He was given flight training at Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas and designated a Naval Aviator in April, 1951. During the Korean War he served with patrol Squadron Six, fl...

Shepard, Alan B. (Alan Bartlett), 1923-1998

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62b9ffh (person)

Rear Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961, he became the first American to travel into space, and in 1971, he walked on the Moon. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Shepard saw action with the surface navy during World War II. He became a naval aviator in 1946, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in ...

Cooper, Gordon, 1927-2004

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6mg9pnf (person)

Gordon Cooper (b. March 6, 1927-d. Oct. 4, 2004) was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was selected as a Mercury astronaut in April 1959, and on May 15-16, 1963, he piloted the "Faith 7" spacecraft on a 22-orbit mission which concluded the operational phase of Project Mercury. He later served as command pilot of the 8-day 120-revolution Gemini 5 mission which began on August 21, 1965. It was on this flight that he and pilot Charles Conrad established a new space endurance record by traveling a dista...