Scott Carpenter Quotes

United States, Astronaut
May 1, 1925 – October, 10, 2013.

Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013), (Cmdr, USN), was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959. Carpenter was the second American (after John Glenn) to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space, following Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and Glenn.

This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It's lonely. It's small. It's isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it. Clearly, the highest loyalty we should have is not to our own country or our own religion or our hometown or even to ourselves. It should be to, number two, the family of man, and number one, the planet at large. This is our home, and this is all we've got.

Scott Carpenter
- Men
- Country
- Home
It was a cherished experience. I feel I got the chance to see the inner workings of the grand order of things. In the overall scheme of things, it proves that men can do about anything they want to if they work hard enough at it, and I knew that I could do it . . . and that leads, of course, to a strong suspicion that everybody else can do it if they want to.

Scott Carpenter
- Men
- Chance
- Enough

The flight experience itself is incredible. It's addictive. It's transcendent. It is a view of the grand plan of all things that is simply unforgettable.

Scott Carpenter
At no time, when the astronauts were in space were they alone, there was a constant surveillance by UFOs.

Scott Carpenter
- Space
- Astronauts
- Ufo
This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It's lonely. It's small. It's isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it.

Scott Carpenter
- Flower
- Lonely
- Planet
Pioneering in space was something I would willingly give my life for.

Scott Carpenter
- Life
- Space
- Pioneering
I liked wrestling a lot better than boxing. I remember thinking at that time that wrestling was a pure demonstration of strength, which I was interested in, while boxing was just hitting somebody or getting hit, which didn't appeal to me. But a demonstration of strength was okay, so I chose wrestling.

Scott Carpenter
- Thinking
- Remember
- Boxing
Satisfying curiosity ranks No. 2 in my book behind conquering a fear.

Scott Carpenter
- Fear
- Curiosity