Тред №256261

Цитата
When reporters asked Shepard what he thought about as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, he had replied, 'The fact that every part of this ship was built by the low bidder.'

Цитата
Still from CBS news coverage shows American sailor and astronaut Alan B. Shepard as he emerges from the Freedom 7 space capsule onto the flight deck of the recovery carrier USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) after his historic Mercury 3 flight, Atlantic Missile Range, May 5, 1961. On this flight Shepard became the first American in space, although his flight was sub-orbital. He also became the first human to return to Earth in his spacecraft as Soviet cosmonauts had parachuted during re-entry. The spaceship was launched with a Redstone rocket and is often called Mercury-Redstone 3.

Цитата
Shepard was on top of the Redstone for so long now that he had to urinate. "Gordo!" he said, talking to Gordon Cooper, a fellow Mercury Seven astronaut and principal prelaunch communicator. "Go, Alan." "Man, I got to pee." "You what?" "You heard me. I've got to pee. I've been up here forever."

Shepard wanted to be let out but there wasn't time to reassemble the White Room. Thinking that he could be up there for hours, he told them he was going to do it in his suit. Unfortunately, there was no urine collection system and the medics were concerned he would short-circuit the leads. "Tell 'em to turn the power off!" Alan snapped. Cooper, with a chuckle in his voice said, "Okay, Alan. Power's off. Go to it."

Shepard couldn't hold back any longer and the liquid pooled in the small of his back. His heavy undergarment soaked up the urine, and with 100 percent oxygen flowing through the suit he was soon dry. The countdown resumed.