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

322
First Steps into Space: Projects Mercury and Gemini
White
I saw the glove come floating out of the right-hand hatch, and it was a perfectly clear
picture of the glove as it floated out. It floated out over my right shoulder and out
– it looked like it was on a definite trajectory going somewhere. I don’t know where
it was going. It floated very smartly out of the spacecraft and out into space.
McDivitt
I think this had a lot to do with that out-gassing. There was a definite stream --.
White
Yes. It was following the streamline right out of the spacecraft.
McDivitt
It went out perpendicular to the spacecraft, whichever direction that is.
White
Back to getting back in the spacecraft - I had the one thermal glove on the one
hand, my left hand. I always wanted my right hand to be free to operate that
gun and the camera. The way the camera was mounted on there, I had to use
both hands - one hand to actually stabilize it with the gun and the other hand to
reach over. Again, I think dynamics played a little bit of a role there. Everytime I
brought my hand in from a position out on my left, it tended to turn me a little
bit, which is exactly what we found happened on the air-bearing tables. I think
that the camera should have been velcroed to my body somewhere and used
independently of the gun.
McDivitt
Yes. I got the same impression. I got the impression that what you really should
have done was --.
White
Dropped the gun.
McDivitt
Unhooked the camera out there floating around and just thrown the gun away. I
don’t think you ever should have tried to bring it back.
White
Well, what I should have done was fold the gun and handed it to you.
McDivitt
That would have taken longer. It would have taken precious seconds out of the
very few that we had anyway. I think you should have just unhooked it and thrown
the gun away.
White
This was probably the thing that I was most irritated with not completing. I didn’t
feel the pictures were satisfactory with the camera outside. But I think the reason
was that my camera was not in a position so I could use it adequately. But coming