47 a
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

Mercury Control Center during preparations for the orbital space mission

Mercury Atlas 8, August 1962

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA MSC caption and NASA HQ caption on the verso, numbered “NASA S-62-5139” in black in top margin

47 b
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

The Atlas launch vehicle hosting Sigma 7 and Walter Schirra during pre-launch countdown

Mercury Atlas 8, October 3, 1962

Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA Cape Canaveral caption numbered “MA8-83-62” on the verso

47 c
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

Astronaut Walter Schirra entering the white room atop the gantry to board the Sigma 7 spacecraft for launch

Mercury Atlas 8, October 3, 1962

Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), the second with NASA Cape Canaveral caption numbered “62-MA8-99” on the verso

47 d
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

Launch of the Atlas rocket carrying Walter Schirra into space

Mercury Atlas 8, October 3, 1962, 000:00:01 GET

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with RCA Quality Control Stamp, NASA-USAF-Cape Canaveral caption and “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso

47 e
NASA / Unidentified Photographer

Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean and recovery of the Sigma 7 spacecraft hosting Walter Schirra on board USS Kearsarge

Mercury Atlas 8, October 3, 1962

Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fiber-based paper, each 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), the second with NASA HQ caption numbered “62-MA8-99” on the verso
20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

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Lot Essay

47 a
Overall view of Mercury Control Center at Cape Canaveral prior to the Mercury-Atlas 8 flight of the Sigma 7 as seen from the visitors viewing area.
The large board indicates the planned six orbital flight path of astronaut Schirra.

47 b
Early Morning view at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14 with the Atlas booster 113D in gantry prior to launch. The Stop Light on the left is yellow for caution as the pre-launch countdown is under way and Schirra is onboard Sigma 7 ready to go.

47 c
Mercury Atlas 8 Pilot Walter Schirra enters the White Room high atop Cape Canaveral’s Pad 14 (first photograph) assisted by Back-up Pilot Gordon Cooper into the Sigma 7 spacecraft (second photograph).

47 d
Mercury Atlas 8 was launched from Cape Kennedy’s Launch Complex 14 on October 3, 1962 at 12:15:12 GMT for a 6-orbit space flight with a perigee of 156 km and an apogee of 285 km.

5, 4, 3.
000:00:02 Schirra: I have the lift-off. Clock has started. And she feels real nice.
000:00:08 Capcom (Mission Control): Wally, you got a pin for this flight?
000:00:10 Schirra: Yeah, I got the pins on my office wall. Altimeter’s off the peg.
000:00:15 Capcom: Standby for 20 seconds.
000:00:16 Schirra: Okay.
000:00:18 Capcom: 2, 1, MARK. [000:00:20] T.
000:00:21 Schirra: Roger. Backup started and running good.I’ll give you a hack at my 30 [seconds]. Ah, she’s riding beautiful, Deke.
000:00:29 Capcom: Looks real fine from here.
000:00:30 Schirra: MARK 30. Okay. Fuel is okay. Oxygen is okay. All systems appear go, and she’s getting noisy.

47 e
After a perfect splashdown with parachute extended (first photograph), Walter Schirra is removed from his Sigma 7 capsule by NAVY personnel (second photograph).

“Astronaut Schirra called his mission a ‘textbook flight’, the only difficulty having been attaining the correct temperature adjustment on his pressure suit. During the flight, the spacecraft attained a maximum velocity slightly higher than previous flights (28,092 km/hour) and an altitude of about 281 km. The capsule reentered after completing six orbits, landing 440 km northeast of Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean, about 8.2 km from the prime recovery ship, USS Kearsarge. The duration of the flight was 9 hours 13 minutes and 11 seconds during which Schirra travelled over 230,000 km” (https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1962-052A).