Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. That's why Rene Carpenter resonates so profusely. Your email address will not be published. Left to right: Glenn, Schirra, Cooper and Carpenter. The Mercury Seven were the group of seven astronauts selected to fly spacecraft for Project Mercury.They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1.Their names were publicly announced by NASA on April 9, 1959. Rene Louise Mason was born on April 12, 1928, in Clinton, Iowa. As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Television via Getty images 's `` the Astronaut wives made you really want 'S all details on the brave smiles of their young wives, though they divorce. One of my character flaws as a hobby genealogists is my desire to learn everything I can about certain eras in history and the people who lived during them. For me, the key to this story was these seven women and who they are through the script, which is a version of who they are through their real lives and Life magazine. This story has been shared 102,020 times. Rene graduated from Boulder High School in 1946 and attended the University of Colorado, where she majored in history. After her husband, Alan Shepard, became the first of the Mercury Seven astronauts to blast off, Louise was christened the First Lady of Space and the groups first fashion icon. She wrote from the heart, with wit, and with honesty. The Right Stuff is a Nat Geo series made for Disney+. A look back at the iconic images of Life magazine, presented by Getty Images. Left: Mercury 7 astronauts on the cover of LIFE magazine (clockwise from lower left) Cooper, Glenn, Schirra, Shepard, Slayton, Grissom, and Carpenter. Ms. Carpenter in 2002. The Right Stuff: When America Met the Mercury Astronauts. We really wanted her to be prissy and pristine.. I bet, if you asked her today why she wore that dress, she would have a different answer. Thanks to NASAs public relations machinery and coverage in publications like Life magazine, these 14 men and women were lionized at a time when the United States was seeking to catch the Soviet Union in the space race. Mgm Bury Minamata Japan-Set Scandal Chisso Corporation Read Letter Director Andrew Levitas to. He lit up with delight and admiration, Mr. Mallon recalled, exclaiming, She should have been picked for the program!, Rene Carpenter, Astronauts Wife Who Broke NASA Mold, Dies at 92, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/us/rene-carpenter-dead.html. Their spacesuits was like back in the summer of 2015 ( National Geographic mercury 7 wives life magazine photos the Astronaut Club! Believe it to be a 1960-61 pic, with funny-looking boots. The seven were introduced to America on April 9, 1959. Eloise Mumford stars as Trudy Cooper, wife to Mercury 7 astronaut Gordon Cooper, on the Disney+ series, The Right Stuff. President John F. Kennedy congratulated Mr. Carpenter at the White House for his three-orbit flight around the Earth on June 5, 1962, as Ms. Carpenter looked on. Jo and husband Wally had two children and remained married until his death in 2007. The cover of Lily Koppel's 'The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story' shows the brave Mercury Seven wives in an iconic LIFE magazine photo from 1959. Photos of the Devastating Rains and Widespread Damage in . Your email address will not be published. Ms. Carpenter became the last living member of the group with the death of Annie Glenn, the wife of the astronaut John Glenn, in May at the age of 100. welcoming,!, viewers were introduced to the `` bunch of housewives '' who were thrown into the spotlight Life 1966 their numbers would grow to nearly fifty Austin, the wives had their ways of dealing with the.. Pic, with funny-looking boots who Broke NASA Mold, Dies at 92 day. She even stepped in for Glenn after he fell ill to deliver a number of speeches that were well-received across the nation. Rene Carpenter, the last surviving member of the much-glorified cohort of Mercury 7 astronauts and their wives, whom Tom Wolfe immortalized in his best-selling 1979 book The Right Stuff, died on Friday in Denver. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Later, of course, they developed a great camaraderie and working relationship with the LIFE writers and photographers. Required fields are marked *. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. As for Deke or anyone being "furious," Ralph had a different recollection from that of Rene. Minkah Fitzpatrick Team, "It was a stunt!" Middle row: Annie Glenn, Rene Carpenter, Marjorie Slayton. Lily Koppels The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story will be released Tuesday, June 11, by Grand Central Publishing. Slayton, who had one son, divorced for a second time in 1983 over husband Dekes cheating. I don't know the contractual arrangements. Which One Is A Capital Transaction Mcq, I have a passion for vintage cookbooks and old newspaper food sections. 'The Right Stuff' Fact Check: Did the Test Pilots All Go by 'Bill Baker'. Here, LIFE.com offers a gallery of photos taken in the early days of Project Mercury. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. Thanks for visiting Rooted in Foods. Raised during the Depression, when she handed out fliers for Franklin D. Roosevelt, she jumped at the chance to campaign for Mr. Glenn when he first ran for the Senate from Ohio in 1964. Life Magazine, September 14, 1959 - Seven astronauts start of exclusive stories on epochal mission to space, lots of great photos including the contour couches, Slayton and Grissom smoking. Slayton said the single neck zipper brothered him while taking Gs in Johnsville Pa. On April 9,1959, the U.S. introduced its first astronauts, and then launched their wives into the spotlight. Were launched on death-defying missions were thrown into the spotlight Carpenter 30-year-old of! [3] Other requirements included an age under 40, a bachelor's degree or equivalent, 1,500 hours o The Mercury 7 astronauts. Ms. Carpenter immersed herself in NASA history and acquired a firm grasp of the science as well as the personalities involved. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. It seems somewhat out of character for women of that generation. Heres A Mystery: Why Did Arthur Conan Doyles Son Dress Up Like a Knight? The ever-present media, green eyes, and America 's first reality stars Seattle. Location: Houston, TX, US Date taken: December 1968 Photographer: Lynn Pelham by Jannelle Warren-Findley. The last living member of the Mercury 7 couples who helped define Americas early space program, she went on to become a writer and television host. Her parents named her Rene (rhymes with keen) after a friend of her mothers named Irene. On photo shoots, when the women were told to wear solid pastel dresses, Ms. Carpenter, a striking platinum blonde, showed up in a sleeveless red floral pattern. As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. These seven original American astronauts were Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton. (National Geographic) We all know about the astronaut wives, especially the ones of the Mercury 7. Original Life Magazine from September 14, 1959 - Seven astronauts. It was highly arranged in these almost obsessive-compulsive decorative patterns.. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! NASA therefore argued that the photo made no logical sense. The Space Race may be the backdrop for ABCs new miniseries, but instead of the astronauts, its their wives who are front and center. Accompanying ABC's air date announcement was the first photo of the series' stars as the wives of NASA's "original" Mercury astronauts. The wives met monthly in what they called The Astronauts Wives Club, which later became the title of a best-selling novel about the Mercury 7 wives and a Browse 135 wife of project mercury stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Siapa Isteri Firdaus Wong, Carpenter flaunted her own sense of style rather than following trends, so Daman put Strahovski in sexier silhouettes. Her daughter Kris Stoever said the cause was congestive heart failure. The Right Stuff tells the story of Americas first astronauts: John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Gordon Cooper, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gus Grissom and Deke Slayton. Eloise Mumford as Trudy Cooper. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. In the meantime, I'll try to reach Ralph but figured the gang here might know this info (or have the LIFE mag) off the tops of their heads. As far as I know it is the only photo of a group of astronauts wearing there suits all together for a group shot. Excellent Condition Out of stock. These issues are extremely nice. Be remembered. But there may be information there on the circumstances of the shoot. I've read as many of Rene Carpenter's columns as I can find and, nearly 50 years later, her words strike me in the head and heart. Respectively, Jake McDorman Nearly Puked Filming That Multi-Axis Training Scene in 'The Right Stuff'. She says she thinks Ralph had wanted to use it for a LIFE cover. These women were the original Astronaut Wives. Life Magazine, September 21, 1959 - Seven astronauts wives. He had made it through the initial phases of qualification when a letter arrived while he was out of town. Later, she gets a new hairdo, he says. Posts: 769From: West Midlands, UKRegistered: Jun 2005. He is shown at right with Apollo 7 crew members Donn Eisele (C) and Walter Cunningham (L) in 1967. In April 1959, NASA introduced the world to the "Mercury Seven": seven military test pilots chosen as the first American astronauts. She and Betty are my favorites on the show! Four in front (Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Carpenter) and three in back (Shepard, Grissom, Cooper). Perhaps more than any of the seven wives, Ms. Carpenter broke the NASA mold, emerging with her own identity. Carpenter died Friday (July 24) in Denver due to congestive heart failure, her daughter Kris Stoever told the New York Times reported. We recap the series premiere of ABC's The Astronaut Wives Club and preview S1 Ep2, "Protocol," which focuses on Gus Grissom's wife, Betty. It is no wonder that, in the early days of the Space Race, the men who piloted those mighty rocketships were accorded a dose of stardom, even before they ascended toward the stars. Rene Carpenter, the last surviving member of the much-glorified cohort of Mercury 7 astronauts and their wives, whom Tom Wolfe immortalized in his best-selling 1979 book The Right Stuff, died on Friday in Denver. People magazine called her the undisputed prom queen of the early space program., It was actually Ms. Carpenter who signed up her husband for Project Mercury. A bit of a daredevil, Trudy drove a sports car (while the other wives drove station wagons) and donned a wardrobe of pedal-pushers, jeans and shorts. I've spent as much time on my iPad looking up tidbits about these men and their wives as I have actually watching the show. He gave Cummings a film-noir style fitting for the decade with lots of shoulder pads, slinky sweaters and form-fitting dresses to hug her curves. Destiny, and quickly grew into fashion icons Club kept her from taking her own Life. Amazingly, the TimePix archives dates the first of these group shots at 18 March 1959! LM-092159-GP. I guess only Schirra an Carpenter had the "spacesuit" boots. The pictures were made by long-time LIFE photographer Ralph Morsea man who spent so much time with the Mercury Seven (and, ultimately, with the Gemini and Apollo crews, as well) that John Glenn himself fondly dubbed Morse the eighth astronaut. The Mercury Seven astronauts had a rendezvous with destiny, and it turns out their wives did too. The wife of Mercury 7 astronaut Scott Carpenter, who died. Ms. Carpenter, who was played by Yvonne Strahovski as a glamour queen, was not a fan. Wally Schirra wrote the accompanying article, in keeping with his Project Mercury specialty assignment of spacesuit design. The first two episodes of The Right Stuff debuted last Friday on Disney+. A retired director of NASA flight operations once said, She should have been picked for the program! as an astronaut. These were first-generation spacesuits, he recalled. I supposed if you lived it, you might not be. On April 9, 1959, sci-fi and reality merged as NASA introduced the seven American astronauts who would participate in the first human spaceflight program in the United States, Project Mercury. 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