Feb 26, 2009
Posted by Ray Katz in NASA, history
Gordo’s satellite
Gordo
Gordon Cooper’s Faith 7 flight in 1963 marked the first time an American astronaut spent a day in space. But Gordo enjoyed a second, lesser-known accomplishment during that mission: He launched a satellite, the first ever launched from a manned spacecraft.
The satellite was very tiny—an globe only 6 inches in diameter. The micro-satellite was equipped with a strobe light. NASA wanted to test the ability of an astronaut to spot the small, lighted sphere.
The trouble was, after releasing the satellite, Cooper couldn’t find the darned thing. Later, on his fourth orbit, he finally saw it. Later, he reported his success to mission control: “I was with the little rascal all night.”
