Victor Prather
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Commander Victor A. Prather Jr. (June 4, 1923 – May 4, 1961) was an American flight surgeon
famous for taking part in "Project RAM", a government project to develop the space suit
.
. He attended Tufts College in 1941, and became part of the V-12 program
there from 1943 to 1945. He graduated from Tufts in 1945 and then attended Tufts University School of Medicine
, graduating there in 1952.
In 1954, Prather rejoined the United States Navy
. He worked as a surgeon aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38)
near Morocco
until 1957, when he returned to the United States
. He then completed courses in aviation medicine and served in Pensacola
, Florida
from 1957 to 1958, and then in Honolulu, Hawaii
from 1959 to 1960.
space suits, at the Naval Medical Research Institute
in Bethesda
, Maryland
. He was commissioned to test how the suits worked underwater
, and later commissioned to see how the suits would function at extremely high altitude
s.
, ascended in Strato-Lab High V from the flight deck of the USS Antietam (CV-36)
to an altitude of 113,720 feet (34,668 meters) to test the Navy's Mark IV full-pressure suit.
The balloon, built by Winzen Research Inc.
of Minneapolis, Minnesota
, was constructed of polyethylene plastic only 0.001 inch (0.0254 mm) thick. The 10 Mcuft balloon envelope was the largest that had ever been successfully launched, expanding to 300 feet (91.4 m) in diameter when fully inflated. Beneath the balloon hung a large parachute and then the gondola. To control temperature, the gondola was protected by special venetian blinds
, but otherwise open to space. Balloon, parachute, gondola, and a trailing antenna made a craft close to 500 feet (152.4 m) tall.
The primary objective of the flight was to test the Mark IV full-pressure suit. The suit was manufactured by B. F. Goodrich
of neoprene and weighed only 20 pounds (9.1 kg). The Mark IV suit overcame problems of weight, bulk, ventilation, air and water tightness, mobility, temperature control, and survival capabilities so well that NASA
selected a modified version for use by the Project Mercury
astronauts. Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather were exposed to temperatures as low as -94 °C when they passed 53000 feet (16,154.4 m) at 8:10 AM. Strato-Lab V reached maximum elevation of 113740 feet (34,668 m) at 9:47 AM, where the temperature was -29 °C and the air pressure was 0.09 pound per square inches (620.5 Pa). At that altitude without a space suit, a person would lose consciousness in seconds. The May 4 flight was the most severe test of the Mark IV suit that was ever conducted.
The flight lasted 9 hours 54 minutes and covered a horizontal distance of 140 miles (225.3 km). As they descended, the balloonists opened their face masks when they reached an elevation where they could breathe. Strato-Lab V landed at 4:02 PM in the Gulf of Mexico
. A hovering helicopter
lowered a rescue hook (or harness), and although Ross slipped partially out of it, he was able to recover without falling completely into the water. A few minutes later the helicopter returned to retrieve Prather. Prather climbed onto the rescue hook but was unable to secure himself. When the helicopter jerked upwards, he slipped off into the ocean. His flight suit then flooded, and he drowned before Navy divers could rescue him.
phoned Prather's widow, Virginia Merritt, and she arrived at the White House
with her children, Marla Lee Prather and Victor A. Prather III. Kennedy posthumously awarded Victor Prather the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross
for 'heroism and extraordinary achievement'. The balloonists were also awarded the 1961 Harmon Trophy
for Aeronauts. The altitude record for a manned balloon flight set by Prather and Ross in 1961 is still officially recognized as unbeaten by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. The only person in history to travel further into the stratosphere was Nicholas Piantanida (USA), who is claimed to have reached 123,800 feet (37,643 m) with his Strato Jump II balloon on February 2, 1966.
Flight surgeon
A flight surgeon is a military medical officer assigned to duties in the clinical field variously known as aviation medicine, aerospace medicine, or flight medicine...
famous for taking part in "Project RAM", a government project to develop the space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
.
Life
Prather was born on June 4, 1923, to Victor Prather Sr. and Gladys May Furse in Lapeer, MichiganLapeer, Michigan
Lapeer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Lapeer County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,841. Most of the city was incorporated from land that was formerly in Lapeer Township, though portions were also annexed from Mayfield Township and Elba...
. He attended Tufts College in 1941, and became part of the V-12 program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
there from 1943 to 1945. He graduated from Tufts in 1945 and then attended Tufts University School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
The Tufts University School of Medicine is one of the eight schools that constitute Tufts University. Located on the university's health sciences campus in the Chinatown district of Boston, Massachusetts, the medical school has clinical affiliations with thousands of doctors and researchers in the...
, graduating there in 1952.
In 1954, Prather rejoined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He worked as a surgeon aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38)
USS Shangri-La (CV-38)
USS Shangri-La was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy.Commissioned in 1944, Shangri-La participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II, earning two battle stars...
near Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
until 1957, when he returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He then completed courses in aviation medicine and served in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
from 1957 to 1958, and then in Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
from 1959 to 1960.
Project RAM
In 1960, Prather was transferred to Project RAM, a government program to test prototypePrototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
space suits, at the Naval Medical Research Institute
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
in Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He was commissioned to test how the suits worked underwater
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
, and later commissioned to see how the suits would function at extremely high altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
s.
The flight
On May 4, 1961, at 7:08 AM, Victor Prather, along with Cdr. Malcolm RossMalcolm Ross (balloonist)
Malcolm D. Ross was a Captain in the United States Naval Reserve , an atmospheric scientist, and a balloonist who set several records for altitude and scientific inquiry, with more than 100 hours flight time in gas balloons by 1961. Along with Lieutenant Commander Victor A...
, ascended in Strato-Lab High V from the flight deck of the USS Antietam (CV-36)
USS Antietam (CV-36)
USS Antietam was one of 24 s built during and shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the American Civil War Battle of Antietam . Antietam was commissioned in January 1945, too late to actively serve in World...
to an altitude of 113,720 feet (34,668 meters) to test the Navy's Mark IV full-pressure suit.
The balloon, built by Winzen Research Inc.
Winzen Research
Winzen Research Inc created balloons in the 1950s and 1960s that were used by the United States Navy in its Projects Helios, Skyhook, and Strato-Lab. Balloons were also sold to the United States Air Force for use in Project Manhigh and for a secret reconnaissance mission, called Moby Dick, to...
of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, was constructed of polyethylene plastic only 0.001 inch (0.0254 mm) thick. The 10 Mcuft balloon envelope was the largest that had ever been successfully launched, expanding to 300 feet (91.4 m) in diameter when fully inflated. Beneath the balloon hung a large parachute and then the gondola. To control temperature, the gondola was protected by special venetian blinds
Window blind
A window blind is a type of window coverings. There are many different kinds of window blinds, using different systems and materials. A typical window blind is made with slats of fabric, wood, plastic or metal that adjust by rotating from an open position to a closed position by allowing slats to...
, but otherwise open to space. Balloon, parachute, gondola, and a trailing antenna made a craft close to 500 feet (152.4 m) tall.
The primary objective of the flight was to test the Mark IV full-pressure suit. The suit was manufactured by B. F. Goodrich
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
of neoprene and weighed only 20 pounds (9.1 kg). The Mark IV suit overcame problems of weight, bulk, ventilation, air and water tightness, mobility, temperature control, and survival capabilities so well that NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
selected a modified version for use by the Project Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
astronauts. Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather were exposed to temperatures as low as -94 °C when they passed 53000 feet (16,154.4 m) at 8:10 AM. Strato-Lab V reached maximum elevation of 113740 feet (34,668 m) at 9:47 AM, where the temperature was -29 °C and the air pressure was 0.09 pound per square inches (620.5 Pa). At that altitude without a space suit, a person would lose consciousness in seconds. The May 4 flight was the most severe test of the Mark IV suit that was ever conducted.
The flight lasted 9 hours 54 minutes and covered a horizontal distance of 140 miles (225.3 km). As they descended, the balloonists opened their face masks when they reached an elevation where they could breathe. Strato-Lab V landed at 4:02 PM in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. A hovering helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
lowered a rescue hook (or harness), and although Ross slipped partially out of it, he was able to recover without falling completely into the water. A few minutes later the helicopter returned to retrieve Prather. Prather climbed onto the rescue hook but was unable to secure himself. When the helicopter jerked upwards, he slipped off into the ocean. His flight suit then flooded, and he drowned before Navy divers could rescue him.
After the flight
Shortly after Prather's death, President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
phoned Prather's widow, Virginia Merritt, and she arrived at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
with her children, Marla Lee Prather and Victor A. Prather III. Kennedy posthumously awarded Victor Prather the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for 'heroism and extraordinary achievement'. The balloonists were also awarded the 1961 Harmon Trophy
Harmon Trophy
The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
for Aeronauts. The altitude record for a manned balloon flight set by Prather and Ross in 1961 is still officially recognized as unbeaten by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. The only person in history to travel further into the stratosphere was Nicholas Piantanida (USA), who is claimed to have reached 123,800 feet (37,643 m) with his Strato Jump II balloon on February 2, 1966.
See also
- Flight altitude recordFlight altitude recordThese are the records set for going the highest in the atmosphere from the age of ballooning onward. Some records are certified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.-Fixed-wing aircraft:-Piston-driven propeller aeroplane:...
- Manned balloon altitude records
- Malcolm RossMalcolm Ross (balloonist)Malcolm D. Ross was a Captain in the United States Naval Reserve , an atmospheric scientist, and a balloonist who set several records for altitude and scientific inquiry, with more than 100 hours flight time in gas balloons by 1961. Along with Lieutenant Commander Victor A...
External links
- John F. Kennedy: Remarks on Presenting the Harmon Trophies Thursday, October 18, 1962 (The American Presidency Project)
- Stratolab, an Evolutionary Stratospheric Balloon Project article by Gregory Kennedy