This I saw, this I experienced, this I know to be the truth
An astronaut's father sends love
It’s the anniversary of Malcolm Scott Carpenter’s trip into space—the perfect excuse to share one of my favourite letters. It can be found in the book, Letters of Note: Space1. The audio I’ve included, featuring a reading by Simon Callow, is from the accompanying audiobook.
On April 9th, 1959, Malcolm Scott Carpenter was announced by NASA as being one of seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, the United States’ program focused entirely on launching humans into space. Three years later, on 24th May, 1962, Carpenter boarded the Aurora 7 spacecraft and circled Earth three times, becoming the second American to orbit his home planet and the sixth human to fly in space. On the eve of his historic journey, Carpenter’s father, Marion, a chemist, proudly wrote him this letter.
M. Scott Carpenter
Lake Palmer
ColoradoDear Son,
Just a few words on the eve of your great adventure for which you have trained yourself and anticipated for so long — to let you know that we all share it with you, vicariously.
As I think I remarked to you at the outset of the space program, you are privileged to share in a pioneering project on a grand scale — in fact the grandest scale yet known to man. And I venture to predict that after all the huzzas have been uttered and the public acclaim is but a memory, you will derive the greatest satisfaction from the serene knowledge that you have discovered new truths. You can say to yourself: this I saw, this I experienced, this I know to be the truth. This experience is a precious thing; it is known to all researchers, in whatever field of endeavour, who have ventured into the unknown and have discovered new truths.
You are probably aware that I am not a particularly religious person, at least in the sense of embracing any of the numerous formal doctrines. Yet I cannot conceive of a man endowed with intellect, perceiving the ordered universe about him, the glory of the mountain top, the plumage of a tropical bird, the intricate complexity of a protein molecule, the utter and unchanging perfection of a salt crystal, who can deny the existence of some higher power. Whether he chooses to call it God or Mohammed or Buddha or Torquoise Woman or the Law of Probability matters little. I find myself in my writings frequently calling upon Mother Nature to explain things and citing Her as responsible for the order of the universe. She is a very satisfactory divinity for me. And so I shall call upon Her to watch over you and guard you and, if she so desires, share with you some of Her secrets which She is usually so ready to share with those who have high purpose.
With all my love,
Dad
The most beautiful work of all
I've recently returned from New York, where we put on a Letters Live show in aid of Choose Love. It was a special evening, and we, the Letters Live team, all agree it was one of the most moving we’ve had the privilege to produce. Thank you to everyone who made it to the Town Hall in New York City, and thank you to all the performers—not least Patti Smith, who very kindly joined us to read her beautiful letter to Robert Mapplethorpe. It was a powerful moment…
Very few people bought Letters of Note: Space. Now, I’m not naïve—I never expected such a niche book to top a chart on this planet. However, I had hoped for a larger ripple than it made. It’s a great little book, and I can safely say it’s the best collection of letters on the subject of space yet to be published. All I’m saying is, it’s not too late to grab a copy.
I would love to buy this book, but as I am in the States am cringing a bit at the post cost. I will be in Scotland for a month this summer; any chance they carry it at Waterstones or elsewhere?
The letter was only succeeded in enjoyment by your 1 footnote.