Episode 44: Project Mercury, Part III

Hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens pour into Red Square the celebrate Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's (left) first space flight and orbit of earth. When Gagarin arrived back in Moscow, Khrushchev pulled him up on to of Lenin's Tomb and the crowd went wild at the sight of their new hero.

The Americans were not rushing to catch up, but honestly, they lacked the technology to keep pace. In 1961, they didn't have a rocket with enough thrust to get a Mercury capsule into orbit so they had to be content with a ballistic flight, getting an astronaut into space, but not high enough to get into a low earth orbit. Alan Shepard was the first to go into space. His successful up and down trip lasted 15 minutes. At the end of the flight, he splashed down in the ocean near the Bahamas and was pulled out of the Caribbean by the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain.

Shepard named the Mercury capsule that carried him into space Freedom 7. He added the seven as a way to honor all seven Project Mercury Astronauts. Today, Freedom 7 is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center next to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia; an annex of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, headquartered in Washington, DC. The DC museum has some really cool artifacts in it, but is relatively small. The Udvar-Hazy Center is huge and is where they keep a LOT of their large items and is a must see if you're ever in the area.

Episode 43: Project Mercury, Part II

With as far ahead as the Soviet Space Program was, it wasn't surprising that the first person in space wasn't one of the Mercury Seven, but Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. But what is surprising is that it was almost as big a shock for the Americans as when Sputnik was launched.

After JFK was elected president, Kennedy had a lot on his plate here on earth with the Cold War and really had no interest one way or the other in space. It was his vice president, Lyndon Johnson, who had hoped his plan for space would vault him into the presidency. It obviously did not but it did help him secure the number two job.

But things were not all rainbows and unicorns with the Soviet program. Sure they were beating the Americans to several key firsts, like first satellite in space; first craft onto the moon; and of course, the previously mentioned first person in space; but they were also racking up casualties. Of course, without freedom of the press, the communists were able to cover up their major failures, including the above video , when more than 100 Soviet officials and scientist were killed - including the rocket forces commander - when a rocket exploded on the launch pad.

Gagarin launched on April 12, 1961 and during his hour and a half in space, he orbited the earth once before safely returning to earth and becoming an immediate hero in the communist world. Regardless of one's side in the Cold War, everyone had to admit that orbiting the earth was an amazing technological achievement. Even the Mercury Seven (particularly Alan Shepard, who had been informed privately that he was going to be the first US astronaut in space- a public announcement wouldn't come until a few days before the first US manned mission) were impress. Green with envy, for sure, but also impressed.

Episode 42: Project Mercury, Part I

The first few years of the space race seems to deal with Soviet victories over their U.S. counterparts, but over the next few episodes (specifically next week's) I will present evidence that the Soviets had their fair share of problems, too, but were able to better hide them. They also had a few spectacular successes that took the attention off of the set backs.

Lunik II, the first man-made craft to land on the moon, launched by the USSR in 1959

During a 13-day trip to the United States in 1959, Soviet Primer Khrushchev presented American President Dwight Eisenhower with a metallic ball-like object that Khrushchev repeatedly referred to as a pennate. The day before the primer meet with the president, a soviet spacecraft called Lunik II smashed into the moon traveling 75,000 miles (or 121,000 kilometers) per hour. In so doing, Lunik became the first human-built object to leave earth and land on another celestial body. Lunik II carried the original object that Eisenhower had been presented a replica of. Sure the craft and the so-called pennate likely disintegrated on impact, traveling as fast as it was. It was still a first that was another feather in the cap of the Soviet space program. By calling the object a pennate, Khrushchev could imply to the world that the Soviet Union had planted its flag on the moon. During the two weeks Khrushchev was visiting the US, the US space program had three Atlas rockets explode during test launches.

A replica of the "pennate" carried by Lunik II to the moon, presented to Eisenhower by Khrushchev in person, the day after the historic touchdown on the lunar surface

Hoping to boost the moral of the US public and the US space program, the United States tried to launch a satellite and put it in orbit of the moon in time for the start of the third year of the space race - specifically the second anniversary of the Sputnik launch. They failed. The USSR did not fail in its amazing engineering feat to commemorate the event. Using the spacecraft Lunik III, the Soviets sent a camera to the far side - the dark side - of the moon, a place never before seen. Not only did they manage to take photos, but they managed to transmit them back to earth. The poor-quality photos themselves are not overly impressive, but the engineering needed to successfully mount such a mission is amazing.

Episode 41: The Space Race

This series is going to be the most ambitious of the podcast by far, talking about the more than one dozen astronauts buried at Arlington while trying to also stitch together a coherent story of the US space race. 

Human kind had been observing, charting, and pondering on the heavens for thousands of years. Over the centuries, more delicate and accurate instruments were developed to provide a better understanding of the universe around us, which inspired authors beginning in the 17th to imagine and to create science fiction.

Johannes Kepler's The Dream, 1634 - Considered by many the first work of science fiction

Bishop Francis Goodwin's The Man in the Moone, 1638 - first English language sci-fi book

Cyrano de Bergerac's Comical History of the States and Empire's of the Moon, 1656

Voltaire's  Le Micromegas, 1752

Jules Vern's From the Earth to the Moon (1865) & Round the Moon (1869) inspired an early silent-era film called A Trip to the Moon (1902), which produced an image that I have seen pop up time and time again over the years.

  

A Trip to the Moon inspired the 1995 Smashing Pumpkins music video Tonight, Tonight

 

In the last 125 years were the innovators who lead to spaceflight developing their theories and ideas. 

Russian Konstantin Tsiolkovsky - The Father of Modern Astronics

American Robert Goddard - The Father of Modern Rocketry

German Hermann Oberth - The Father of Space Flight

It wasn't until after World War II and the onset of the Cold War that the Space Race entered its final stage, pitting the United States against the Soviet Union to see with global super power would reign supreme.

The Soviets jumped out to an early lead in the contest, successfully launching the first two satellites, Sputnik and Sputnik II, into space in 1957. Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature in space.

A replica of Sputnik I

Laika the dog went into space aboard Sputnik II

After several failed attempts, the United States finally got its first satellite into space in early 1958 when Explorer I launched. That was quickly followed up with the creation of NASA as an independent agency with civilian oversight. After a rigorous selection process, NASA introduced the Mercury Seven, the first seven astronauts, one of whom the space agency hoped would be the first human in space.

A replica of Explorer I

The Mercury Seven Introductory Press Conference - (left to right) Gordo Cooper, Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, Alan Shepard, and Wally Schirra. 

Episode 40: The Less-Than-Dashing Abner Doubleday, Part V

 

This is the only photograph that I could find that could be Doubleday not in uniform; forgive its blurriness. According to Wikipedia (not the best source, I admit) this image is, or at least was, displayed at the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

After his retirement, Doubleday had more time to devote to self-reflection and became involved with Theosophy whose motto, as can be seen above, declares that there is no religion higher than truth - but it was started by a median, so interpret that as you will. It drew on philosophy and thought from several (Eastern) religions, as can be seen from its logo.

In 1875, Helen Blavatsky and Henry Olcott formed the Theosophical Society in New York which, by the turn of the 20th century, had 180 posts world wide. The group was established to offer places for free thinkers (read: those with minority views on religion and philosophy) to come together without worrying about being judged for their views. As it was also based around mediums and Spiritualism, its numbers declined in the United States soon after the turn of the century and was forced into the fringes of US society, it is still around today with halls around the world.

Aside from spending time with the Theosophical Society, Doubleday spent his retirement writing books and articles of a military nature and making appearances with veteran organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic until his health began to fade around his 72nd birthday. Brevet Major General Abner Doubleday died on January 26, 1893 at age 73, with his wife Mary by his side in their newly completed home in Mendham, New Jersey. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 1, Grave 61. The marker on his grave site was placed by the First Corpse Society in 1896.

The inscription on the back of the marker list his military achievements:

HE WAS GRADUATED AT WEST POINT

1842

1846 MEXICAN WAR

1852 COMMISSIONER TO MEXICO

1854 INDIAN HOSTILITIES IN TEXAS

1856 INDIAN HOSTILITIES IN FLORIDA

1861-1865 WAR OF THE REBELLION

FORT SUMTER

GROVETON SECOND BULL RUN

SOUTH MOUNTAIN ANTIETAM

FREDERICKSBURG CHANCELLORSVILLE

GETTYSBURG

1863 TO 1865 PRESIDENT OF

MILITARY COMMISSIONS

IN CONTINUOUS COMMAND

UNTIL RETIRED

Mary Hewitt Doubleday survived her husband by 14 years, but when she passed away in she was laid to rest beside the man she was married to for 41 years.

Today, the myth about Doubleday inventing baseball has all but fallen by the wayside and he is being remembered for his actual achievements to the service of the nation. Plaques honor him at various Civil War battle sites and the town of Ballston Spa, New York, where he spent the first two of so years of his life had a marker at his birthplace. The Doubleday Inn in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is located, fittingly enough, on Doubleday Avenue, near McPherson's Ridge, the site of his greatest military achievement. 

Episode 39a: Veteran's Last Song - Supplemental Episode #1

I was amazed to find this song from circa 1927 (since it's circa, I'm rolling the dice and believing it is in the public domain) sung by a then 85-year-old Civil War veteran. The video and lyrics are below if you wish to listen and follow along.

I am standing on the summit of a century of years That has measured the life of our nation And I see, way down the mountain, a flood of blood and tears That was shed for our country's salvation And I see a mighty legion who, for our nation's life, Would forfeit young manhood's fresh glory And I see a mighty legion that perished in the strife Now sleeping in garments stiff and gory And we're going soon to meet them in the bivouac of the soul As the shadows around us give warning And I want to see my comrades when the angels call the roll All are ready for inspection in the morning We were boys when we enlisted And these wrinkled brows were fair And our eyes were not dimmed in their vision And the frost that never melts had not fallen on our hair And our step had not lost its precision But the years have built their terraces on every comrade's brow And age makes our weary limbs quiver And the frost is falling thick As we run the double quick To the camp that is over the river And we're going soon to meet them in the Bivouac of the soul As the shadows around us give warning I want to see my comrades when the angels call the roll All are ready for inspection in the morning

 

Episode 39: The Less-Than-Dashing Abner Doubleday, Part IV

Major General John Reynolds was one of the most respected and loved-by-his-troops officers in the Union army when a bullet struck him down as he was positioning troops onto the battlefield and thrust Abner Doubleday into command of the field on the pivotal first day of the battle of Gettysburg. Reynolds, who was one year ahead of Doubleday at West Point, and Abner had known each other for more than 20 years; Doubleday would have to wait until after the battle ended to mourn the loss of his friend.

The controversy around First Corps' performance at Gettysburg began with an inaccurate report issued by Major General Oliver Otis Howard, Eleventh Corps Commander, to Army of the Potomac commander, Major General George Meade. Howard's Corps had been accused of cowardice and running in the face of the enemy during Chancellorsville and some historians have suggested that his comments about First Corps may have been an attempt to repair Eleventh Corps' reputation.

Whether because of Howard's report, because he just didn't like Doubleday, because of a combination of both, or because of some other reason, Meade didn't let Doubleday keep command of First Corps so for days two and three of Gettysburg, Doubleday led that corps' third division and helped turn back Pickett's Charge - considered the high water mark of the Confederacy.

On July 1, 1863, First Corps, first under Reynolds, then Doubleday, repelled a morning attack on their position on McPherson's Ridge. Eleventh Corps arrived just before the afternoon attacks. Howard, who was senior to Doubleday, assumed command of the field and got his corps on line as the afternoon shots began. Greatly outnumbered, both Union commander's fell back to Seminary Ridge and then through Gettysburg Village and up to Cemetery Ridge, which they were able to hold until the rest of the Army of the Potomac arrived.

After midnight on July 2, 1863, as the rest of the Union troops arrived, they formed the famous fish hook line. Doubleday, now part of Newton's corps, received a few desperately reinforcements who would help bail out American Scoundrel Dan Sickles Third Corps around the Peach Orchard.

On July 3, 1863, Doubleday's Third Division was near the center of the line for Pickett's Charge and helped repel the Confederate advance. It wasn't until 6 pm, after the battle was all but finished, that Doubleday was struck in the neck by a shell fragment and was quite fortunate to not have been killed.

It was only after the battle, after his duty to his division, his corps, his army, and his country had been done that he began to push back against his demotion from corps command.

Today, both General Reynolds (above) and General Doubleday (below) have monuments in this honor on the Gettysburg battlefield.

One of Doubleday's other claims to fame came after the Civil War ended and he was posted San Francisco. He was part of the group that received the first patent for a cable car in the city. This factoid gave this child of the 80s and 90s the perfect excuse to talk about one of my favorite TV shows growing up, Full House. Fun fact, this host had a huge crush on Jodie Sweetin at the time!