This might be fun to make a timeline out of:
1961--Alan Shepard succumbs to an inner ear problem which makes him ineligible to fly. He joins Mercury astronaut Donald Slayton on the no-fly list.
John Glenn becomes the first man in space. Is Grissom still #2? Or is it Carpenter?
I can see three interesting What-Ifs:
1) Grissom's flight goes OTL.
a) Carpenter flies the first orbital flight. All goes well (or he screws up per OTL, but the only result is he never flies again).
b) Schirra and Cooper have the next two flights. Glenn goes once more in the 24 orbit endurance flight. Then he resigns (or not--JFK assassination may not happen).
2) Grissom's flight goes OTL
a) Carpenter flies the first orbital flight, screws it up, Aurora 7 burns up on reentry due to the combo of a bad landing bag and wasted fuel. America goes OUCH.
3) Carpenter gets the second suborbital and doesn't have enough time to screw it up.
a) Glenn has first orbital.
b) Schirra and Cooper have next two.
c) Grissom gets the endurance flight.
d) Carpenter ends up on the first Gemini mission?!
1961--Alan Shepard succumbs to an inner ear problem which makes him ineligible to fly. He joins Mercury astronaut Donald Slayton on the no-fly list.
John Glenn becomes the first man in space. Is Grissom still #2? Or is it Carpenter?
I can see three interesting What-Ifs:
1) Grissom's flight goes OTL.
a) Carpenter flies the first orbital flight. All goes well (or he screws up per OTL, but the only result is he never flies again).
b) Schirra and Cooper have the next two flights. Glenn goes once more in the 24 orbit endurance flight. Then he resigns (or not--JFK assassination may not happen).
2) Grissom's flight goes OTL
a) Carpenter flies the first orbital flight, screws it up, Aurora 7 burns up on reentry due to the combo of a bad landing bag and wasted fuel. America goes OUCH.
3) Carpenter gets the second suborbital and doesn't have enough time to screw it up.
a) Glenn has first orbital.
b) Schirra and Cooper have next two.
c) Grissom gets the endurance flight.
d) Carpenter ends up on the first Gemini mission?!