APOD: Mercury-Redstone 3 Launch (2021 May 07)

[APOD Robot]

Mercury-Redstone 3 Launch

Explanation: Sixty years ago, near the dawn of the space age, NASA controllers "lit the candle" and sent Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard arcing into space atop a Redstone rocket. His cramped space capsule was dubbed Freedom 7. Broadcast live to a global television audience, the historic Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Florida at 9:34 a.m. Eastern Time on May 5, 1961. The flight of Freedom 7, the first space flight by an American, followed less than a month after the first human venture into space by Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The 15 minute sub-orbital flight achieved an altitude of 116 miles and a maximum speed of 5,134 miles per hour. As Shepard looked back near the peak of Freedom 7's trajectory, he could see the outlines of the west coast of Florida, Lake Okeechobe in central Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Bahamas. Shepard would later view planet Earth from a more distant perspective and walk on the Moon as commander of the Apollo 14 mission.

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[RocketRon]

They were brave men back then. !
That really was a flight into the unknown.

Even if they did send a dog up first, to see that it would survive.

[MarkBour]

They were brave men back then. !
That really was a flight into the unknown.

Even if they did send a dog up first, to see that it would survive.

LOL. We are such a considerate species, allowing so many others the honor of going first !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_in_space is a delightful article.

[Doug FitzGerald]

What are those figures standing around the launch pad? Protective equipment test dummies?

[JohnD]

Brave? Phenomenally brave!

Look at the kit of that launch pad; compare it with the same of the ancestral V2 rocket and apart from a taller rocket, there had been no development in twenty years! See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94T8VxOOvdI
And then with the Saturn V launch pad, only six years later! http://www.moonhoaxdebunked.com/2017/07 ... ocket.html (It's just a good pic! Ignore the moonhoax aspects!)

The Redstone was a US riposte to Gagarin, cobbled together from an operational military ballistic missile, and Shepard was suicidally brave!
John

[orin stepanek]

Yes everyone born before 1960 probably
remembers the mercury capsule; then the
goal was to catch the Russians! It was a
trying time; but improved technology
followed!

[Wadsworth]

It's incredible that we went from the first man in space to boots on the moon in only eight years.

[orin stepanek]

It's incredible that we went from the first man in space to boots on the moon in only eight years.

+1

[johnnydeep]

It's incredible that we went from the first man in space to boots on the moon in only eight years.

And equally incredible that our boots have gone no farther since then.

[Chris Peterson]

It's incredible that we went from the first man in space to boots on the moon in only eight years.

And equally incredible that our boots have gone no farther since then. :(

It is important to remember that the early space program was all about military might. It was cold war posturing, not science. And boots on the Moon didn't really do much... although it did so at great cost.

Since then, humans have launched hundreds of research missions, visited every planet as well as comets and asteroids, and advanced our knowledge of the Solar System and the Universe immeasurably. In large part because we devoted our limited resources to robotic missions, capable of returning large amounts of information, as opposed to putting boots on other bodies, which is showy, but that's about all.

[MarkBour]

It's incredible that we went from the first man in space to boots on the moon in only eight years.

And equally incredible that our boots have gone no farther since then.

Your metaphorical usage is valid and so it was nice to say it the way you did.


But ... technically, some boots have recently gone farther.
Starman

[uberK]

Hi,
I wanted to ask if the little figure off on the grass at the lower right is ... a person? It wouldn't surprise me if so. That is close though.

[johnnydeep]

It's incredible that we went from the first man in space to boots on the moon in only eight years.

And equally incredible that our boots have gone no farther since then.

It is important to remember that the early space program was all about military might. It was cold war posturing, not science. And boots on the Moon didn't really do much... although it did so at great cost.

Since then, humans have launched hundreds of research missions, visited every planet as well as comets and asteroids, and advanced our knowledge of the Solar System and the Universe immeasurably. In large part because we devoted our limited resources to robotic missions, capable of returning large amounts of information, as opposed to putting boots on other bodies, which is showy, but that's about all.

I realize all that, but it would be hard to argue that manned missions to other planets wouldn't have been a much better use of (even a modest fraction of) the trillions that have been spent on national defense over the past decades. And I think you could also argue that the technological innovations necessary to accomplish that would have had beneficial repercussions for humanity beyond what has been gained from robotic missions.

[Chris Peterson]

And equally incredible that our boots have gone no farther since then. :(

It is important to remember that the early space program was all about military might. It was cold war posturing, not science. And boots on the Moon didn't really do much... although it did so at great cost.

Since then, humans have launched hundreds of research missions, visited every planet as well as comets and asteroids, and advanced our knowledge of the Solar System and the Universe immeasurably. In large part because we devoted our limited resources to robotic missions, capable of returning large amounts of information, as opposed to putting boots on other bodies, which is showy, but that's about all.

I realize all that, but it would be hard to argue that manned missions to other planets wouldn't have been a much better use of (even a modest fraction of) the trillions that have been spent on national defense over the past decades. And I think you could also argue that the technological innovations necessary to accomplish that would have had beneficial repercussions for humanity beyond what has been gained from robotic missions.

But that funding wasn't an option. As to the other... no, I think the advances from robotics are significantly beyond what we'd get from manned missions.

[johnnydeep]

It is important to remember that the early space program was all about military might. It was cold war posturing, not science. And boots on the Moon didn't really do much... although it did so at great cost.

Since then, humans have launched hundreds of research missions, visited every planet as well as comets and asteroids, and advanced our knowledge of the Solar System and the Universe immeasurably. In large part because we devoted our limited resources to robotic missions, capable of returning large amounts of information, as opposed to putting boots on other bodies, which is showy, but that's about all.

I realize all that, but it would be hard to argue that manned missions to other planets wouldn't have been a much better use of (even a modest fraction of) the trillions that have been spent on national defense over the past decades. And I think you could also argue that the technological innovations necessary to accomplish that would have had beneficial repercussions for humanity beyond what has been gained from robotic missions.

But that funding wasn't an option. As to the other... no, I think the advances from robotics are significantly beyond what we'd get from manned missions.

Yes, there have been great advances due to robotic missions, but I believe the advancements from human missions would likely be in different but equally important areas more directly related to human health, climate change, and the protection of Earth from human actions. Hopefully someday soon we will find out.

[Chris Peterson]

I realize all that, but it would be hard to argue that manned missions to other planets wouldn't have been a much better use of (even a modest fraction of) the trillions that have been spent on national defense over the past decades. And I think you could also argue that the technological innovations necessary to accomplish that would have had beneficial repercussions for humanity beyond what has been gained from robotic missions.

But that funding wasn't an option. As to the other... no, I think the advances from robotics are significantly beyond what we'd get from manned missions.

Yes, there have been great advances due to robotic missions, but I believe the advancements from human missions would likely be in different but equally important areas more directly related to human health, climate change, and the protection of Earth from human actions. Hopefully someday soon we will find out.

I hope not. I oppose almost all human exploration of space as a waste of resources. It serves no purpose while sucking resources from things that provide genuine benefits.

[johnnydeep]

But that funding wasn't an option. As to the other... no, I think the advances from robotics are significantly beyond what we'd get from manned missions.

Yes, there have been great advances due to robotic missions, but I believe the advancements from human missions would likely be in different but equally important areas more directly related to human health, climate change, and the protection of Earth from human actions. Hopefully someday soon we will find out.

I hope not. I oppose almost all human exploration of space as a waste of resources. It serves no purpose while sucking resources from things that provide genuine benefits.

Understood, but I'm happy Elon Musk appears to disagree.

[Chris Peterson]

Yes, there have been great advances due to robotic missions, but I believe the advancements from human missions would likely be in different but equally important areas more directly related to human health, climate change, and the protection of Earth from human actions. Hopefully someday soon we will find out.

I hope not. I oppose almost all human exploration of space as a waste of resources. It serves no purpose while sucking resources from things that provide genuine benefits.

Understood, but I'm happy Elon Musk appears to disagree.

I have no issue at all with private enterprises engaging in such activities. I just don't like to see NASA or other publicly funded agencies doing so.

[johnnydeep]

I hope not. I oppose almost all human exploration of space as a waste of resources. It serves no purpose while sucking resources from things that provide genuine benefits.

Understood, but I'm happy Elon Musk appears to disagree.

I have no issue at all with private enterprises engaging in such activities. I just don't like to see NASA or other publicly funded agencies doing so.

Just curious what you think of the science being done by humans on the ISS? Mostly a waste, or does it provide some useful scientific knowledge? Is there anything being gained from the human residents there, or are they superfluous?

[Chris Peterson]

Understood, but I'm happy Elon Musk appears to disagree.

I have no issue at all with private enterprises engaging in such activities. I just don't like to see NASA or other publicly funded agencies doing so.

Just curious what you think of the science being done by humans on the ISS? Mostly a waste, or does it provide some useful scientific knowledge? Is there anything being gained from the human residents there, or are they superfluous?

What science? They spend 99% of their time keeping the plumbing and air recycling equipment functional. And almost none of the science they're doing couldn't be done just as effectively by robots.

[johnnydeep]

I have no issue at all with private enterprises engaging in such activities. I just don't like to see NASA or other publicly funded agencies doing so.

Just curious what you think of the science being done by humans on the ISS? Mostly a waste, or does it provide some useful scientific knowledge? Is there anything being gained from the human residents there, or are they superfluous?

What science? They spend 99% of their time keeping the plumbing and air recycling equipment functional. And almost none of the science they're doing couldn't be done just as effectively by robots.

Ok, yeah, I think I can agree that the ISS can be seen as a boondoggle. But surely they have learned something useful about the effects of long term weightlessness on human physiology? Or is that part of the "almost none"?

[Chris Peterson]

Just curious what you think of the science being done by humans on the ISS? Mostly a waste, or does it provide some useful scientific knowledge? Is there anything being gained from the human residents there, or are they superfluous?

What science? They spend 99% of their time keeping the plumbing and air recycling equipment functional. And almost none of the science they're doing couldn't be done just as effectively by robots.

Ok, yeah, I think I can agree that the ISS can be seen as a boondoggle. But surely they have learned something useful about the effects of long term weightlessness on human physiology? Or is that part of the "almost none"?

Well, that's not terribly useful information except in the context of humans in space.

In any case, it's not that we haven't learned anything. It's about costs and benefits. And IMO the costs of the ISS and other man-in-space efforts have vastly outweighed the benefits.

[johnnydeep]

What science? They spend 99% of their time keeping the plumbing and air recycling equipment functional. And almost none of the science they're doing couldn't be done just as effectively by robots.

Ok, yeah, I think I can agree that the ISS can be seen as a boondoggle. But surely they have learned something useful about the effects of long term weightlessness on human physiology? Or is that part of the "almost none"?

Well, that's not terribly useful information except in the context of humans in space.

In any case, it's not that we haven't learned anything. It's about costs and benefits. And IMO the costs of the ISS and other man-in-space efforts have vastly outweighed the benefits.

Of course, many would say the same thing for the (unmanned) JWST. But not me!

[Chris Peterson]

Ok, yeah, I think I can agree that the ISS can be seen as a boondoggle. But surely they have learned something useful about the effects of long term weightlessness on human physiology? Or is that part of the "almost none"?

Well, that's not terribly useful information except in the context of humans in space.

In any case, it's not that we haven't learned anything. It's about costs and benefits. And IMO the costs of the ISS and other man-in-space efforts have vastly outweighed the benefits.

Of course, many would say the same thing for the (unmanned) JWST. But not me! :ssmile:

At ten times the cost, it would still be worth it.

[Wadsworth]

Well, that's not terribly useful information except in the context of humans in space.

In any case, it's not that we haven't learned anything. It's about costs and benefits. And IMO the costs of the ISS and other man-in-space efforts have vastly outweighed the benefits.

Of course, many would say the same thing for the (unmanned) JWST. But not me!

At ten times the cost, it would still be worth it.

I can find some logic in both of your arguments. I feel that the majority of endeavors which humanity seeks out have their intrinsic value. Robotic and manned space travel should hold value as much as anything else we’ve set out to do, and succeeded in. I also think the time was right in the 60’s,70’s, etc. for the Government to pave the way where no private enterprise could. And now the time is ripe for private enterprise to take the lead and push forward.

Following the various robotic exploration missions and rovers has been quite exciting, but it will be spellbinding on an entirely different level to follow the first manned Mars exploration crew.

It is ingrained in us (at least some of us) to find out what is just over the next hill, the next mountain, the next planet. And put our ‘boots’ there.

-Nick-