Rating: 
Summary: Too Concerned with Kraft's Book
Review: Carpenter spends a large portion of this book refuting what Chris Kraft wrote in his book, "Flight", too large in my opinion. I did find his story interesting and I think he could of told his story without making specific rebuttals to Kraft. On the positive side, this book is a nice addition to my NASA library since it focuses so much on the Mercury missions, compared to the many books written on the Apollo program.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply Outstanding ... One of the Best!
Review: Having just finished reading a train wreck (aka Tom Stafford's almost incomprehensible "We have Capture") and with lingering memories of Gordo Cooper's bizarre & error-filled "Leap of Faith", I wasn't holding out much hope for Carpenter's book ... I couldn't have been more wrong."For Spacious Skies" written by Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris Stoever is the most intensely personal and one of the best-written of the astronaut biographies - ranking right up there with Collins' "Carrying the Fire" and Cernan's "Last Man on the Moon." Carpenter's unusual childhood - a combination of a very ill mother and an absentee distant father - is covered in painstaking detail through amazing collection of personal letters and recollections. Carpenter also provides great insight into the Mercury astronaut selection process and details the impact of 'sudden fame' on the astronauts' families. Of interest to space scholars is Carpenter's account of the sudden-grounding of Deke Slayton resulting in his (Carpenter's) unexpected elevation to flight status - over the strenuous objections of a less-than-pleased Wally Schirra. Unfairly dismissed as a 'lightweight' by many of his colleagues for his near-disasterous Mercury mission, Carpenter sets the record straight. He outlines the myriad of problems and hardware failures during his 1962 mission and their impact on his flight - for instance, the cabin temperature in his spacecraft exceeded 100 degrees F during most of his flight. He also blows holes in the long-standing myth propogated by Flight Director Chris Kraft that Carpenter somehow 'bungled' his flight and refocuses much of the blame back on Kraft himself. "For Spacious Skies" is detailed enough for space enthusiasts but, more importantly, the book is an intriguing personal portrait that will fascinate casual readers as well. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Simply Outstanding ... One of the Best!
Review: Having just finished reading a train wreck (aka Tom Stafford's almost incomprehensible "We have Capture") and with lingering memories of Gordo Cooper's bizarre & error-filled "Leap of Faith", I wasn't holding out much hope for Carpenter's book ... I couldn't have been more wrong. "For Spacious Skies" written by Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris Stoever is the most intensely personal and one of the best-written of the astronaut biographies - ranking right up there with Collins' "Carrying the Fire" and Cernan's "Last Man on the Moon." Carpenter's unusual childhood - a combination of a very ill mother and an absentee distant father - is covered in painstaking detail through amazing collection of personal letters and recollections. Carpenter also provides great insight into the Mercury astronaut selection process and details the impact of 'sudden fame' on the astronauts' families. Of interest to space scholars is Carpenter's account of the sudden-grounding of Deke Slayton resulting in his (Carpenter's) unexpected elevation to flight status - over the strenuous objections of a less-than-pleased Wally Schirra. Unfairly dismissed as a 'lightweight' by many of his colleagues for his near-disasterous Mercury mission, Carpenter sets the record straight. He outlines the myriad of problems and hardware failures during his 1962 mission and their impact on his flight - for instance, the cabin temperature in his spacecraft exceeded 100 degrees F during most of his flight. He also blows holes in the long-standing myth propogated by Flight Director Chris Kraft that Carpenter somehow 'bungled' his flight and refocuses much of the blame back on Kraft himself. "For Spacious Skies" is detailed enough for space enthusiasts but, more importantly, the book is an intriguing personal portrait that will fascinate casual readers as well. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Spaced out details
Review: I love reading about flying in space. And this book by a real hero is good. But not great. It is mostly written by his daughter, in the third person. You don't get that 'up close' feel. You get slighty dry text. I did learn about an amazing time, an amazing journey, but would have liked a little more.
If you love this subject, then this is a must have book. But if are new to reading about the early space program, there are better books to start with. Follow some of the links, search a little, and then come back and get this book if you are hooked.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Reading
Review: If you're interested in the early days of NASA and the story behind the original seven astronauts, then you'll want to read this book. Told only as an insider can do, For Spacious Skies is a worthy addition to the books written by the other original astronauts.
Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris Stoever do a masterful job of pulling together a story much larger than the book that tells the story. From Scott's early days growing up in a home situation not considered normal for the time, to his early days in the Navy and then his application and acceptance into the astronaut program, the book is filled with insights and eye opening stories.
Balanced in the picture it paints of NASA and the other astronauts, this is a must read. It is certain to take its place with the other books about this era and stand as an equal to them.
Rating:
Summary: Provides the Mercury astronaut's account of life at NASA
Review: In 1962 the spacecraft Aurora 7 carried Carpenter into space and into history: For Spacious Skies provides the Mercury astronaut's account of life at NASA, from how selections were made and how astronauts received training to the flight which made him the second American to orbit the earth. Any interested in space travel or early NASA history will find this autobiography fascinating.
Rating: 
Summary: We Finally Hear Carpenter's Story
Review: Scott Carpenter has the worst reputation of the Mercury Seven. Chris Kraft's book "Flight" dedicates a complete chapter to attacking Carpenter. Using numerous footnotes, the book references many NASA reports which cite a mechanical failure which nearly doomed his mission. The book seems to be a family history written by Carpenter's daughter, Kris Stoever. Thus, the reader must adjust to reading about Carpenter in the third person. Carpenter does take over in the chapters about his flight, writing in the first person. Adding to the difficulty reading the book, the writers assume that the reader can keep track of the year different events happened. However, the story is not chronilogical, so one must guess at the year when signifigant events (child birth, transfer to a new Navy base) occur. Too bad this book did not do a better job of completing the timeline for the reader. Particularly surprising his how Carpenter's last three marriages are summarized in a 6-line paragraph on the second to last page. I recommend reading this book if you want to hear Carpenter's view of his flight. But be prepared to for a bumpy ride, as the book is not pulled together into the consistent story one would expect.
Rating:
Summary: We Finally Hear Carpenter's Story
Review: Scott Carpenter has the worst reputation of the Mercury Seven. Chris Kraft's book "Flight" dedicates a complete chapter to attacking Carpenter. Using numerous footnotes, the book references many NASA reports which cite a mechanical failure which nearly doomed his mission. The book seems to be a family history written by Carpenter's daughter, Kris Stoever. Thus, the reader must adjust to reading about Carpenter in the third person. Carpenter does take over in the chapters about his flight, writing in the first person. Adding to the difficulty reading the book, the writers assume that the reader can keep track of the year different events happened. However, the story is not chronilogical, so one must guess at the year when signifigant events (child birth, transfer to a new Navy base) occur. Too bad this book did not do a better job of completing the timeline for the reader. Particularly surprising his how Carpenter's last three marriages are summarized in a 6-line paragraph on the second to last page. I recommend reading this book if you want to hear Carpenter's view of his flight. But be prepared to for a bumpy ride, as the book is not pulled together into the consistent story one would expect.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Scott Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts on April 9, 1959 and flew the second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. This flight was only the fourth manned launch for the United States. During his flight aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft, he made three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles for a total flight time of 4 hours and 54 minutes. With the exception of Deke Slayton, who was sidelined with heart arrhythmia, Scott Carpenter is the only Mercury Seven astronaut who only made one spaceflight. As one would probably expect, including this reader, with such a small amount of space flight to his name that there could hardly be much to write about. I must, however, admit I was wrong and Scott Carpenter and his daughter have written a wonderful and extremely interesting book about his life from his birth to his leaving NASA. The book opens with quite a lengthy section about Scott Carpenter's childhood from age two when he left New York and moved to Colorado through his high school years, which is about a fifth of the book. Such a long section devoted to one's youth is atypical of most astronaut biographies, however, this portion book serves an excellent introduction to the man's character. In contrast to the other Mercury Seven astronauts who came from the traditional 1920's family setting, he was raised by maternal grandparents, because of an absent father and a mother who suffered tuberculosis. He feels that this upbringing gave him the abilities to become an astronaut, but also led to him to three failed marriages ending in divorced and a final fourth marriage. . A few years after he enters high school, the United States becomes involved in World War II and upon graduation he joins the Navy's V12 program where receives pilot training and a college education. Even though the war ends before he sees combat, he eventually chooses a career as Navy pilot which moves him through a variety of interesting assignments from patrol aircraft to test piloting. The remaining half of the book covers the selection process of the Mercury 7 group, the selection, the subsequent training and his eventual three-orbit flight. This section contains much more information on the selection process and training of the Mercury 7 astronauts than any other first hand account. Very little, however, is devoted to his post-flight life other than a few pages. In this section, many of the questions that have dogged him since his selection are answered. For example, "Why was he chosen especially when one compares his flight and test piloting record to those of his peers?" "Why did he only fly once?" and well as other question are addressed. I'll leave it to the readers to discover the answers to these questions. I promise you'll be surprised. Those familiar with the Chris Kraft book, Flight, know that Mr. Kraft has an extremely low opinion of Scott Carpenter and his skill at piloting a spacecraft. In this book, Scott Carpenter recounts his spaceflight, using both his personal recollection and ground to air and air to ground transcripts which allows the reader to make up his mind on who is blame. It is has always been my opinion that the truth usually lies in between the two. As I said earlier, I was amazed that the astronaut with the shortest amount of total flight time could actually write a book about his life as an astronaut. I must, however, admit I was wrong and Scott Carpenter along his daughter have written a wonderful and extremely interesting book that definitely is one of the better astronaut biographies.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Scott Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts on April 9, 1959 and flew the second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. This flight was only the fourth manned launch for the United States. During his flight aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft, he made three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles for a total flight time of 4 hours and 54 minutes. With the exception of Deke Slayton, who was sidelined with heart arrhythmia, Scott Carpenter is the only Mercury Seven astronaut who only made one spaceflight. As one would probably expect, including this reader, with such a small amount of space flight to his name that there could hardly be much to write about. I must, however, admit I was wrong and Scott Carpenter and his daughter have written a wonderful and extremely interesting book about his life from his birth to his leaving NASA. The book opens with quite a lengthy section about Scott Carpenter's childhood from age two when he left New York and moved to Colorado through his high school years, which is about a fifth of the book. Such a long section devoted to one's youth is atypical of most astronaut biographies, however, this portion book serves an excellent introduction to the man's character. In contrast to the other Mercury Seven astronauts who came from the traditional 1920's family setting, he was raised by maternal grandparents, because of an absent father and a mother who suffered tuberculosis. He feels that this upbringing gave him the abilities to become an astronaut, but also led to him to three failed marriages ending in divorced and a final fourth marriage. . A few years after he enters high school, the United States becomes involved in World War II and upon graduation he joins the Navy's V12 program where receives pilot training and a college education. Even though the war ends before he sees combat, he eventually chooses a career as Navy pilot which moves him through a variety of interesting assignments from patrol aircraft to test piloting. The remaining half of the book covers the selection process of the Mercury 7 group, the selection, the subsequent training and his eventual three-orbit flight. This section contains much more information on the selection process and training of the Mercury 7 astronauts than any other first hand account. Very little, however, is devoted to his post-flight life other than a few pages. In this section, many of the questions that have dogged him since his selection are answered. For example, "Why was he chosen especially when one compares his flight and test piloting record to those of his peers?" "Why did he only fly once?" and well as other question are addressed. I'll leave it to the readers to discover the answers to these questions. I promise you'll be surprised. Those familiar with the Chris Kraft book, Flight, know that Mr. Kraft has an extremely low opinion of Scott Carpenter and his skill at piloting a spacecraft. In this book, Scott Carpenter recounts his spaceflight, using both his personal recollection and ground to air and air to ground transcripts which allows the reader to make up his mind on who is blame. It is has always been my opinion that the truth usually lies in between the two. As I said earlier, I was amazed that the astronaut with the shortest amount of total flight time could actually write a book about his life as an astronaut. I must, however, admit I was wrong and Scott Carpenter along his daughter have written a wonderful and extremely interesting book that definitely is one of the better astronaut biographies.
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