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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

The first Astronaut launch

The first Astronaut launch was schedule for early 1961. On May 5 1961 Alan Shepard was to be launched into sub orbital path to test the Mercury Capsule, the launch vehicles systems & the ability of a human to with stand the stress. Many of the specialized technical personnel were put on standby duty to technically advise & help the launch crew inside the block house. I was assigned to assist & advise on the Azusa Impact Predictor. We were testing a new experimental position location method using 3 receiving location. One was in Newfoundland, one at Cape Canaveral and one on a South Atlantic island (using satellites now, known as Global Positioning System, GPS). On May 5 when I reported into my Ready Room and my Senior Master Sergeant told me NASA had been trying since 0400 that morning to get the launce completed but was now asking the Air Force to aid them with the Guidance System. My Senior Master Sergeant now asked me to check out the Azusa Impact detector. NASA had already run the Impact Detector for testing and now the Impact Detector Klystron was failing due to the excessive time the launch process was taking. A Klystron is a lighter weight high frequency high power transmitting device. The Klystron, in use, was a 100 watt unit being used for 1000 watts on a 10% duty cycle to increase its life. The Klystron had only to operate for 20 minutes after the missile launch.

I asked for a launch delay to immediately replace the Impact Predictor. The success of the launch and recovery of the first American astronaut was important for the prestige of the United States. I was granted the delay & removed our Titan 1 impact predictor to use as a replacement Impact Predictor for the Alan Shepard launch. The manufacture only had 3 total units operational ready for use. I had tested the 3 units available. I assigned the best unit for the Shepard launch and the second best was in our Titan 1. The Titan 1 was also scheduled to be launched on May 5 at 1300 hours. The 3rd Azusa unit was tested and it was not usable to operate correctly for a missile guidance system.

The Impact Predictor was changed and I tested the Guidance Impact Detector using all the instrumentation I had available, I had the Impact Detector turned off to save the transmitting Klystron. The guidance system would not be turned on until the final launch procedure would automatically turn on the guidance system. The many other previously unreported problems were corrected including a not reported fuel leak. This had caused a pooling of the leaking fuel at the base of the missile launch pad. The fuel leak was repaired, the launch pad was flushed with water and the launch pad was safe for launching the missile.

I gave a final GO of the guidance system to the Redstone NASA Test Conductor. The launch was now completed on 5 May 1961 at 9 35a.m. many hours after the NASA estimated launch schedule. The astronaut Alan B. Shepard landed in the ocean as scheduled and where the guidance system predicted & was returned safe. The start of the program to land on the Moon was now completed successfully. At 23 years old I was honored to be asked to be of assistants for the launch of the first American Astronaut
We now had the GPS method working correctly for Orbital Earth use. The GPS method would be tested on moon missions using Star Guidance and would be needed for correct positioning in space with the Apollo moon missions. For my part in the Shepard launch I was awarded Airman of the Month for our base and a cigarette lighter with our unit emblem, the Airmen?€™s Missile Badge (Pocket Rocket) and a missile professional pay raise ($30 a month). From NASA I received a unit patch medallion and Mercury 3 pin.

The last 6 months of 1961 I was part of the training group to train SAC (Strategic Air Command) crews for the Titan1 launch program. We trained over 8 SAC crews, air force missile instructors & many officers for the Air Force missile program. I had been on the guidance console for 20+ military and civilian test launches.
In early January 1962 I, and other senior Air Force members, reported to the AC Spark plug division plant in Milwaukee Wisconsin for training on the new Titan 2 All-Inertial Guidance system which no longer required that the missiles remain tethered to a ground-based guidance system. The morning after I arrived in Milwaukee I saw the temperature on the local bank was -26 degrees. That was a shock from the temperatures I had in Florida. It snowed every day I was in Milwaukee. We finished our training about the end of March and reported back to our Air Force base in Florida. We now worked with the new Titan II missile guidance system.

When my 4 year enlistment was ending I was told my next assignment orders were in a Fargo North Dakota missile silo. I asked to stay at Patrick, go overseas or any assignment not as cold as Fargo. My request was denied. I allowed my enlistment to expire & ended my Air Force career.
Ronald B Schoch Boyertown Area High School class of 1956