Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

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First Steps into Space: Projects Mercury and Gemini
Scott Capenter, to be coming from the spacecraft, and this analysis was confirmed
by Schirra and Cooper.
We can send unmanned instrumented vehicles into space which can learn
much about the space environment and the makeup of the planets. However,
the use of Man to aid in making the scientific observations will be invaluable.
The old problem of what and how to instrument for the unknown can benefit
greatly from Man’s capability to pick and chose the time and types of experiments
to be performed. We have learned much from the Mercury program through
this quality of choice and we will continue to learn if man continues to be an
important part of the system.
If we have learned more about space itself, we have also learned about
Man’s capabilities in space. Many experiments have been conducted which have
yielded valuable information for future programs. Aside from aeromedical
experiments, Man has been able to distinguish color in space, to spot object at
varying distances from the spacecraft, to observe high intensity lights on the
ground, and to track objects near him. These observations provide valuable
information in determining the feasibility of the rendezvous and navigation in
Gemini and Apollo.
[9] Pictures taken with infrared filters have aided the Weather Bureau
in determining the type of cameras to use in their weather satellites. Special
pictures have also been taken for scientific studies such as geological formations,
zodiacal light, and refraction of light through the atmosphere.
CONCLUSION
The manned space flight program has changed quite a few concepts
about space, added greatly to our knowledge of the universe around us, and
demonstrated that Man has a proper role in exploring it. There are many
unknowns that lie ahead, but we are reassured because we are confident in
overcoming them by using Man’s capabilities to the fullest.
When we started the manned space program five years ago, there was a
great deal of doubt about Man’s usefulness in space. We have now come to a point
which is exactly one hundred eighty degrees around the circle from that opinion.
We now depend on Man in the loop to back up the automatic systems rather than
using automatic systems alone to insure that the mission is accomplished.
We do not want to ignore the automatic aspects of space flight altogether.
There must be a careful blending of Man and machine in future spacecraft
which provides the formula for further success. By experience, we have arrived at
what we think is a proper mixture of that formula. Man is the deciding element;
but we cannot ignore the usefulness of the automatic systems. As long as Man
is able to alter the decision of the machine, we will have a spacecraft that can
perform under any known condition, and that can probe into the unknown for
new knowledge.
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