   malcolm scott carpenter (may 1, 1925 â october 10, 2013) was an american test pilot, 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 john glenn. ==early life== born in boulder, colorado, carpenter moved to new york city with his parents marion scott carpenter and florence [nÃ©e noxon] carpenter for the first two years of his life. his father had been awarded a postdoctoral research post at columbia university. in the summer of 1927, scott returned to boulder with his mother, then ill with tuberculosis. he was raised by his maternal grandparents in the family home at the corner of aurora avenue and seventh street, until his graduation from boulder high school in 1943. (it was claimed that his reason for choosing the name 'aurora 7' for his spacecraft was for the fact that he was raised at this house on the corner of aurora and seventh, but carpenter denied this.) ==naval aviator== upon graduation, he was accepted into the v-12 navy college training program as an aviation cadet (v-12a), where he trained until the end of world war ii. the war ended before he was able to finish training and receive an overseas assignment, so the navy released him from active duty. he returned to boulder in november 19
1925_births 1962_in_spaceflight 2013_deaths American_astronauts American_autobiographers American_aviators American_military_personnel_of_the_Korean_War American_test_pilots Aquanauts Aviators_from_Colorado Collier_Trophy_recipients Mercury_Seven People_from_Boulder,_Colorado Project_Mercury Recipients_of_the_Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_States) Recipients_of_the_Legion_of_Merit Recipients_of_the_NASA_Distinguished_Service_Medal Rehoboth_Carpenter_family United_States_Astronaut_Hall_of_Fame_inductees United_States_Naval_Aviators United_States_Naval_Test_Pilot_School_alumni United_States_Navy_astronauts United_States_Navy_officers University_of_Colorado_alumni Writers_from_Colorado