Raising Liberty Bell 7 - anyone catch it?

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Just watched a great little documentary on Discovery - made about the raising of Gus Grissom's "Liberty Bell 7" Mercury spacecraft back in 1999. Fantastic footage and they managed to get it up after 38 years of existence 15,000 feet under the waves. I hadn't seen this before, and it was well worth watching.

http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/fieldgu...cury/mr-4.html

[bizarro (Greg)]

I saw this documentary a number of years ago while I was living in the US. I agree it is well worth watching. I also had the pleasure of seeing the capsule when it was on display at the Kennedy Space Centre. That was pretty cool.

Cheers,
Greg

[Ric]

Looks like a very interesting doco Chris, I keep an eye out in case it turns up on "free to air". I always thought that the Americans recovered their capsules, I didn't realise that one had been lost.

Cheers

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by Ric

Looks like a very interesting doco Chris, I keep an eye out in case it turns up on "free to air". I always thought that the Americans recovered their capsules, I didn't realise that one had been lost.

Cheers

This was Gus Grissoms' "only" mistake during his flight career. His hatch blew off for some reason on landing and the spacecraft filled with water, making it too heavy for the recovery helicopter to hold - so it was let go.

Grissom was later vindicated after a pretty rigorous enquiry through which Grissom vehemently and sucessfully defended himself - even though the evidence was 15,000 feet down. Alhough it wasn't his fault, Grissom always tagged this episode as the "one tht got away".

[matt]

Yep. Saw it when I had Foxtel. Is a good doco, for sure.

[Ric]

It sure looks cramped for space in the capsule, he probably bumped the wrong button.

Cheers

[DougAdams]

Originally Posted by Omaroo

Just watched a great little documentary on Discovery - made about the raising of Gus Grissom's "Liberty Bell 7" Mercury spacecraft back in 1999. Fantastic footage and they managed to get it up after 38 years of existence 15,000 feet under the waves. I hadn't seen this before, and it was well worth watching.

http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/fieldgu...cury/mr-4.html

Is this the one where they have Gunter Wendt on the ship when it's raised? Good documentary.

I saw a Mercury spacecraft on display in a museum in Lucerne, Switzerland (no idea how it got there, or what it was - probably an old boilerplate model). They are tiny!

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by DougAdams

Is this the one where they have Gunter Wendt on the ship when it's raised?

LOL! "I wunda where Goonter Went"...... a great movie line indeed

Yes - Gunther looked after the white room. Does anyone know when he retired at all?

[dwyman]

On a sad note, Gus Grissom is one of the three astronauts that died when their capsule caught fire on the launchpad on Apollo 1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1

[cahullian]

on a happier note I met and talked with Buzz Aldren and when he looked me in the eye and said he was on the moon I believed him...that was the single most important moment in my sad and sorry life. But the high has lasted with me for a long long time.

gazz

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Yep Chris, I watched it on Discovery the other day too. It was a very well made doco.

Nice bit at the end, having Gus's brother touch the capsule.