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

324
First Steps into Space: Projects Mercury and Gemini
White
You mean with the harder suit I was stiffer?
McDivitt
Harder. And your arms were stiffer and you weren’t bending them around as
much. It looked a lot more rigid.
White
This might have been.
McDivitt
Not semi-rigid – Ed was rigid.
White
All right. This might have been.
McDivitt
And that looked to me like it might have been the problem.
White
This might have been part of the recontact on the side of the spacecraft that I
noticed. But as I came back in, I noticed that I had to work a little harder, and I
hoped the tape was running because I think we had a very good commentary. We
were both talking very clearly back and forth to each other during this time, and
I was telling Jim that I was going to come in slow because it was a little tougher
than I had thought. We were talking back and forth about being slow and taking
it easy.
McDivitt
I actually helped push Ed down in there. I don’t know whether he felt it or not
in that suit.
White
No, I couldn’t.
McDivitt
I reached over and I steered his legs down in, and I sort of got him settled in the
seat a little better than what he was getting himself.
[4-46]
White
Yes. Right. I was kind of free wheeling my feet up there.
McDivitt
Yes. It looked to me like Ed was holding on to the top of the open part of the
hatch and just swiveling around that part. It looked like he didn’t have enough
mobility and strength in his arms to actually twist his body down against the force
of the suit into the seat.