Astronaut Scientific Debriefings, 1962-1963

Text

This text came with the file. It may have mistakes. When the text and the image disagree, the image is right.

61
Schirra - No, that was only during this area.
This could best
be described as the eastern half of Australia.
Dubin - Did you notice any lightning while looking down - you
couldn't see the flashes away from the capsule?
Schirra - No, oh no, no, I didn't get any light fed into the capsule.
It was just my eyes that captured this light.
Dubin - In the daytime did you also see lightning the same way?
Di d
your ...
Schirra - I don't recall having seen lightning in the daytime.
I t 1 s
a good question, though, and I don't recall it.
I'm sure I woul d have
noted it if I had seen it.
Nordberg - One question, that I am sure you can't answer because of
the orbit of your vehicle, but it's of tremendous importance to the
geological satellite people, and this is, the distinction of clouds
and ice and snow.
I know, you probably never went over snow or ice.
Schirra - I looked up at the Sierras when I was on the second or
third orbit - we can pin this down - and I was talking to John Glenn
about somebody water skiiing on the Salton Sea, and at this time,
it was amazing how much I could see, because this area is practica l ly
crisp, clear air in . the desert, and I lived there for a number of
years, so I know that.
I could look all at the Sierras and I could
see snow- capped mountains up there.
Nordberg - But no clouds of course.
Schirra - Not, not - well - on the other side of the Sierras,
westward there was this terrible fog belt, and I do recall saying
sometime I may fly over the Pacific and see the Pacific.
I have