Scott Carpenter, pioneering astronaut and 2nd American in orbit, dies at age 88

DENVER — Scott Carpenter conquered the heights of space, the depths of the ocean, and the darkness of fear. And in doing so he became the second American to orbit the Earth, powered by not just a rocket but an insatiable curiosity.

“Conquering of fear is one of life’s greatest pleasures and it can be done a lot of different places,” he said....

Carpenter followed John Glenn into orbit, and it was Carpenter who gave him the historic send-off, “Godspeed John Glenn.” The two were the last survivors of the famed original Mercury 7 astronauts from the “Right Stuff” days of the early 1960s. Glenn is the only one left alive....