Scott Carpenter has the unique distinction of being the only human ever to penetrate both inner and outer space, acquiring the dual title Astronaut/Aquanaut.

Scott Carpenter was selected as one of the original Mercury 7 Astronauts on April 9, 1959. He was the backup pilot for America's first manned orbital space flight. On May 24, 1962 Carpenter became the second American to orbit the earth, by piloting his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three earth orbits.

After his historic flight, on leave of absence from NASA, Carpenter was an Aquanaut Team Leader in the Navy's Man-in-the-Sea Project spending 30 days living and working on the ocean floor at a depth of 205 feet as part of the Sealab II program.

Upon returning to his NASA duties, as Executive Assistant to the Director of the Manned Space-flight Center, Carpenter was active in the design of the Apollo Lunar Landing Module and
underwater extra-vehicular activity (EVA) crew training.

In 1967, he returned to the Navy's Deep Sea Submergence Systems Project (DSSP) as Director of Aquanaut Operations during the Sealab III experiment.

Currently Carpenter is an active author, public speaker, and consultant on ocean and space
technology programs. He is also with the Explorer's Club, an Association of Space Explorers.