APSS Perch 313, page 80 |
aft battery hatch |
Unknown-Delaney-Moores-Stoney(?); writing home |
Perch engine room General Motors 16-278-A engines |
Sam Houston, forward t/bunk room; ladder into fwd escape hatch; bottom bunk was Sam's; center bunk was mine (Mattern) |
While in Adak, Alaska in 1957, the Perch received word that Russia had launched Sputnik into orbit. (see news clip below). Entering Broadway Pier in San Diego, where our families were waiting for our return, this Thing from Mars appeared on deck. This was top secret! I believe hs name was "Smith". Yes, his name was Smith! Everyone had a big laugh! Loyde Mattern |
"History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R. space race." |
Photos and info on this page supplied by Loyde Mattern |
