CAPSULE WAS IN DANGER

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30711, 29 March 1965, Page 11

CAPSULE WAS IN DANGER

(N.Z.P A. Reuter—Copyright) CAPE KENNEDY. March 28. Major V. I. Grissom said he had to take emergency action to free the main parachute when it started to drag the spacecraft under water after landing last week. The landing in the Atlantic was so hard that he and co-pilot John Young hit the windshield of their hatches, and a knob knocked a hole in his face plate.

“Then I saw green water across both windshields while I was waiting to see the parachute before releasing it. I let it go immediately. “The parachute pulled our nose down in the water and had started submarining us. “Then the windshield pop-

ped out of the Water with nose up,” he said. Grissom said that he was still not certain what caused the capsule to land 60 miles short of its intended splashdown point, but he said they would be analysing data in the next few days to try to find the answer. Grissom said it would have been possible to go into space from the capsule. “All we had to do was unlock the hatch. But I think we would like some more training to make sure we could get the hatch closed again,” he said. The American space director (Mr J. Webb) told the President and Cabinet that

the United States was more intent on developing a space suit which would enable American astronauts to work outside on space vehicles and develop or put together space centres, he said. Mr Webb added: “We now know there are two or probably three spots where a manned moon-landing would be possible.” Dr. G. P. Kuiper, of the University of Arizona lunar and planetary laboratory, said:

“It looks like it would be sufficient to support a ton or two a square foot.”