The U.S. held its breath when Alan Shepard led the way into space. It suffered anxiety as Gus Grissom swam for his life in the Atlantic. It thrilled to the historic adventure of John Glenn. Now, as Astronaut Malcolm Scott Carpenter, 37, a wiry, laconic Navy lieutenant commander, hurtled three times around the earth, there was interest, but little of the intense excitement that had focused on previous flights. The nation seemed to be getting sophisticated about space travel—until, at the end, a harrowing, wildly suspenseful 57 minutes showed just how thin...
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