Joe Trammel worked for McDonnel Aircraft on the Mercury spacecraft, and his signature is on this particular flown $2 bill. As it happens, Joe is the one responsible for the flying of this particular Jefferson aboard Friendship 7. The video below is from KETC, LIVING ST. LOUIS Producer Jim Kirchherr, who attended a reunion of the McDonnel Aircraft crew that built the Mercury Capsule. The reunion has been organized by the wife of Joe Trammel because he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and planned the reunion to see his old teammates and look back on the times they spent together. This video is one of the most moving explorations of these critical ground support personnel....and it also tells the story, right in the middle of it, of the flown currency on John Glenn's historic flight, and Joe's role in cataloging them. An amazing, and moving tribute!
First mission with a $2 bill aboard? Friendship 7
While down at Kennedy Space Center for the 2009 Astronaut Scholarship Apollo 12 40th Anniversary dinner, I made the treck over to the Space Walk Hall of Fame in Titusville (a wonderful, but often ignored gem of a private museum). I had the pleasure of meeting Sam Beddingfield -- KSC employee #4, who worked at NASA from Mercury through to the Shuttle program, being the Shuttle program's first employee, and retiring as the program's Deputy Director. During Mercury, Sam was responsible for overseeing the weight and balance of the spacecraft. I spoke with him about flown currency -- and the Glenn bill from Joe Tramel. He remembered Joe very clearly, and told me that the $2 bills were the rarer of bills flown on early spacecraft. In fact, he told me, only 3 one dollar bills flew on the first Mercury flight with Alan Shepard. They, too, were autographed. He owns one of the three. No $2 bills flew on that flight. This year, I was at the Kansas Cosmosphere, and was shown the surviving two flown one dollar bills from that flight: no $2 bills survived. So the Glenn $2 bills are the first exemplars of $2 bills ever flown in space aboard a manned US space craft.
Official NASA Memo About Glenn Flown Currency
I received a copy of a March 9, 1962 NASA memo from the John Glenn Archives that gives insightful information not only on the bills flown on Glenn's flight, but the formation of the tradition of flying bills on the early Mercury flights. This memo, which was sent to me by Jeff Thomas, archivist of the John Glenn Archives at Ohio State University, is located in the John Glenn archives, Non-Senate Papers sub-roup, NASA series, Mercury 7 sub-series, box 66, folder 7. It was written by Charles L. Buckley, Jr., NASA Security Officer, Atlantic Missle Range, stationed at the Launch Operations Directorate, Cocoa Beach, Florida, and sent to Lloyd Blankenbaker, Director of Security, at NASA in Washington. The memo included newspaper clipings from the Associated Press and the UPI, all of which discussed the issue of bills being carried into space in his capsule, and concerns by Senate officials that this would cause a hazard. The memo copies R. R. Gilruth, W.C. Williams, G.M. Preston, Col J.C. Powers, Deke Slayton, and Glenn himself.
The memo states, in full:
"This is a report based on recent news releases similar to those attached and distributed by the Associated Press and UPI. The report concerns money placed aboard Col. Glenn's capsule just prior to the February 20th flight.
Investigation has revealed that two bundles of bills having a total value of approximately $52 to $56 or a total of 32 bills of one and two dollar denomination were placed aboard the capsule by a McDonnell Aircraft employee under the direction of the McDonnell Launch Pad Foreman and approved by the McDonnell Pad Leader and NASA Inspectors. The bills belonged to both NASA and McDonnell employees who were assigned to work on the launch pad and capsule. The money was placed in the capsule at 10:30 pm, February 19th during the early part of the final countdown. It was secured in thermofit tubing which was attached to a wire bundle (group of wires) by nylon cord and then low temperature heat was applied. The heat shrunk the tubing, making it tight and fast to the wire bundle. This method secured it in a manner safe for flight. In fact, it was more secure than some of the necessary equipment the Astronaut took with him. One bundle was located on the main trunk line and the other attached to a wire bundle under the head rest. There was absolutely no danger of "jamming delicate equipment" as stated in the news articles. There was no danger of a conflagration due to external heat since the money was within the internal capsule atmosphere. The money was as clean as the outside of the Astronaut's suit or the typed flight instructions on the instrument panel. NASA inspectors verified and approved the installation.
Every capsule, with the exception of "Capsule 8-A" has carried money installed in approximately the same manner. Alan Shepard's capsule for MR-3 flight carried an American flag, which has been presented to a local elementary school. Several officials questioned mentioned that they were aware of the tradition, and indeed, that is what the action has become. They stated that "it's just as American as apple pie." The people closely associated with the Astronauts and the capsule have a warm and tender feeling that is difficult to understand for outsiders and are justly proud of their work. The money is tangible evidence that they have been close to the Astronaut and capsule and affords them a memento similar to those kept by World War II veterans, which were called "short snorters."
The money was exstracted on February 21st at approximately 5:00 pm after the capsule was returned to Cape Canaveral for examination. Since that time, it has been kept intact and at the present time it is in the Astronaut Quarters, Hanger S, where it awaits Col. Glenn's signature. The dollar bill shown to the press by Col. Powers was not aboard the capsule and was given to him for autographs by a man who failed to get his dollar aboard the capsule before flight.
Although this procedure has become tradition, it was confined to those workers closely associated with installation and inspection of the capsule and with the knowledge of NASA and McDonnell officials."
A great memo, that not only establishes the tradition of carry the bills being tied to the Short Snorter tradition, but also the exact chain of custody and provenance of these bills until they were signed and notarized by Glenn post flight. A great memo now in the Jefferson-in-Space Museum archives. Many thanks to the Ohio State University John Glenn Archives archivist Jeff Thomas (what an appropriate last name!) for providing me with a copy.
The memo states, in full:
"This is a report based on recent news releases similar to those attached and distributed by the Associated Press and UPI. The report concerns money placed aboard Col. Glenn's capsule just prior to the February 20th flight.
Investigation has revealed that two bundles of bills having a total value of approximately $52 to $56 or a total of 32 bills of one and two dollar denomination were placed aboard the capsule by a McDonnell Aircraft employee under the direction of the McDonnell Launch Pad Foreman and approved by the McDonnell Pad Leader and NASA Inspectors. The bills belonged to both NASA and McDonnell employees who were assigned to work on the launch pad and capsule. The money was placed in the capsule at 10:30 pm, February 19th during the early part of the final countdown. It was secured in thermofit tubing which was attached to a wire bundle (group of wires) by nylon cord and then low temperature heat was applied. The heat shrunk the tubing, making it tight and fast to the wire bundle. This method secured it in a manner safe for flight. In fact, it was more secure than some of the necessary equipment the Astronaut took with him. One bundle was located on the main trunk line and the other attached to a wire bundle under the head rest. There was absolutely no danger of "jamming delicate equipment" as stated in the news articles. There was no danger of a conflagration due to external heat since the money was within the internal capsule atmosphere. The money was as clean as the outside of the Astronaut's suit or the typed flight instructions on the instrument panel. NASA inspectors verified and approved the installation.
Every capsule, with the exception of "Capsule 8-A" has carried money installed in approximately the same manner. Alan Shepard's capsule for MR-3 flight carried an American flag, which has been presented to a local elementary school. Several officials questioned mentioned that they were aware of the tradition, and indeed, that is what the action has become. They stated that "it's just as American as apple pie." The people closely associated with the Astronauts and the capsule have a warm and tender feeling that is difficult to understand for outsiders and are justly proud of their work. The money is tangible evidence that they have been close to the Astronaut and capsule and affords them a memento similar to those kept by World War II veterans, which were called "short snorters."
The money was exstracted on February 21st at approximately 5:00 pm after the capsule was returned to Cape Canaveral for examination. Since that time, it has been kept intact and at the present time it is in the Astronaut Quarters, Hanger S, where it awaits Col. Glenn's signature. The dollar bill shown to the press by Col. Powers was not aboard the capsule and was given to him for autographs by a man who failed to get his dollar aboard the capsule before flight.
Although this procedure has become tradition, it was confined to those workers closely associated with installation and inspection of the capsule and with the knowledge of NASA and McDonnell officials."
A great memo, that not only establishes the tradition of carry the bills being tied to the Short Snorter tradition, but also the exact chain of custody and provenance of these bills until they were signed and notarized by Glenn post flight. A great memo now in the Jefferson-in-Space Museum archives. Many thanks to the Ohio State University John Glenn Archives archivist Jeff Thomas (what an appropriate last name!) for providing me with a copy.
1917 Jefferson Carried Aboard Mercury 9
This large paper US $2 note was flown by Colonel Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. within the pocket of his flight suit aboard Mercury capsule Faith 7, the last flight of the Mercury Program, and the longest US manned flight at that time. Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 15, 1963, Tom and Gordo flew 22.5 orbits around the Earth (at an altitude of 165.9 by 100.3 statue miles) during an elapsed mission time of 34 hours, 19 minutes and 49 seconds. Together, they travelled 546,167 miles at a speed of 17,547 miles per hour. If you click on the scanned image, you will see that it was folded into 8ths so that Cooper could fit it snuggly into his flight suit. The bill is dated 1917, carries the serial number D92207287A, and bares Cooper's hand signed, flight certification to the lower right. According to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, this particular bill was one of over 146.4 million printed between January 25, 1922, and September 30, 1927. It is the only $2 bill known to have flown on this mission, as it was a singular and personal memento taken by Cooper for himself. (He also carried a $1 silver certificate as well in a similar fashion, so George was along for the ride to keep Tom company!) Given the availablity of more modern design Jeffersons at the time of the flight -- for example, the 1953 Series A bill flown on the Glenn flight -- I wonder what compelled Cooper to take this particular bill with him. Was the early 1917 date of significance to him? Was it a bill that was given to him by someone special? Was it a lucky charm -- since he kept it in his suit pocket, instead of stowed away in the capsule? And why a $2 bill?My personal belief is that Gordo's mission was scheduled for and achieved 22 orbits, the longest spaceflight at that time, and so he took a $2 bill and kept it with him on his person as a personal talisman and goodluck charm for the success of the mission with a double-2 goal on orbits. Since Colonel Cooper has passed away, we probably will never know the answer for sure. But one thing remains for sure. It is one of the more unusual and unique Jeffersons to have ever orbited the Earth during the Mercury program.