Age, Biography and Wiki
Victor Prather (Victor A. Prather Jr.) was born on 4 June, 1926 in Lapeer, Michigan, U.S., is a US Navy flight surgeon in "Project RAM" (1926–1961). Discover Victor Prather's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 34 years old?
Popular As |
Victor A. Prather Jr. |
Occupation |
N/A |
Age |
34 years old |
Zodiac Sign |
Gemini |
Born |
4 June, 1926 |
Birthday |
4 June |
Birthplace |
Lapeer, Michigan, U.S. |
Date of death |
4 May, 1961 |
Died Place |
At sea in the Gulf of Mexico |
Nationality |
United States
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We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 4 June.
She is a member of famous with the age 34 years old group.
Victor Prather Height, Weight & Measurements
At 34 years old, Victor Prather height not available right now. We will update Victor Prather's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.
Physical Status |
Height |
Not Available |
Weight |
Not Available |
Body Measurements |
Not Available |
Eye Color |
Not Available |
Hair Color |
Not Available |
Dating & Relationship status
She is currently single. She is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, She has no children.
Family |
Parents |
Not Available |
Husband |
Not Available |
Sibling |
Not Available |
Children |
Not Available |
Victor Prather Net Worth
Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Victor Prather worth at the age of 34 years old? Victor Prather’s income source is mostly from being a successful . She is from United States. We have estimated Victor Prather's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.
Net Worth in 2024 |
$1 Million - $5 Million |
Salary in 2024 |
Under Review |
Net Worth in 2023 |
Pending |
Salary in 2023 |
Under Review |
House |
Not Available |
Cars |
Not Available |
Source of Income |
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Victor Prather Social Network
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Timeline
Lieutenant Commander Victor Alonzo Prather Jr. (June 4, 1926 – May 4, 1961) was an American flight surgeon famous for taking part in "Project RAM", a government project to develop the space suit.
Prather was born on June 4, 1926, in Lapeer, Michigan, to Victor Prather Sr. and Gladys May Furse.
He attended Tufts College in 1943, and became part of the V-12 program stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1943 to 1945.
He returned to Tufts at the end of WWII and attended Tufts University School of Medicine, graduating there in 1952.
In 1954, Prather rejoined the United States Navy in the Navy Medical Corps.
He was stationed in Pensacola and then transferred to San Diego, CA.
While at San Diego, Prather completed courses in Aviation Medicine and qualifications in fixed wing and helicopter aircraft.
He was stationed as a medical doctor aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La until 1957, when he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Port Lyautey, Morocco as Flight Surgeon for VR-24.
In 1959, Prather was reassigned to the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.
In 1960, Prather was transferred to Project RAM, a government program to test prototype space suits, at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
He was commissioned to test how the suits worked underwater, and later commissioned to see how the suits would function at extremely high altitudes.
On May 4, 1961, Prather drowned during the helicopter transfer after the landing of the Strato-Lab V balloon flight, which set an altitude record for manned balloon flight which stood until 2012.
On May 4, 1961, at 7:08 am, Victor Prather, along with Cdr. Malcolm Ross, ascended in Strato-Lab High V from the flight deck of the USS Antietam (CV-36) to an altitude of 113,720 ft to test the Navy's Mark IV full-pressure suit.
The balloon, built by Winzen Research Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was constructed of polyethylene plastic only .001 in thick.
The 10 Mcuft balloon envelope was the largest that had ever been successfully launched, expanding to 300 ft in diameter when fully inflated.
Beneath the balloon hung a large parachute and then the gondola.
To control temperature, the gondola was protected by special venetian blinds, but otherwise open to space.
Balloon, parachute, gondola, and a trailing antenna made a craft close to 500 ft tall.
The primary objective of the flight was to test the Mark IV full-pressure suit.
The suit was manufactured by B. F. Goodrich of neoprene and weighed only 20 lb. The Mark IV suit overcame problems of weight, bulk, ventilation, air and water tightness, mobility, temperature control, and survival capabilities so well that NASA selected a modified version for use by the Project Mercury astronauts.
Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather were exposed to temperatures as low as -94 °C when they passed 53000 ft at 8:10 am.
Strato-Lab V reached maximum elevation of 113740 ft at 9:47 am, where the temperature was -29 °C and the air pressure was .09 psi.
At that altitude without a space suit, a person would lose consciousness in seconds.
The May 4 flight was the most severe test of the Mark IV suit that was ever conducted.
The flight lasted 9 hours 54 minutes and covered a horizontal distance of 140 mi. As they descended, the balloonists opened their face masks when they reached an elevation where they could breathe.
Strato-Lab V landed at 4:02 pm in the Gulf of Mexico.
The mission plan was to use a boat to retrieve the balloonists in the event that the gondola landed in the water instead of on the flight deck of the carrier.
However, without orders to do so, the crew in a hovering helicopter lowered a hook.
Commander Ross invited Prather to go first, but he declined.
Ross stepped into the hook contrary to proper procedure and slipped partially out of it, but he was able to recover without falling completely into the water.
A few minutes later, when a hook was lowered to retrieve Prather, he stood on a float attached to the gondola and grasped the rescue line.
When he stepped into the hook, the trailing foot pushed the gondola away, and he fell backwards three feet into the water.
The helicopter crew assumed that the flight suit was watertight, which it would have been if the face plate was still closed, and did not effect an immediate rescue.
Because the face plate was open, Prather's flight suit flooded, and he drowned before Navy divers could rescue him.
Shortly after Prather's death, President John F. Kennedy phoned Prather's widow, Virginia Merritt, and she arrived at the White House with her children, Marla Lee Prather and Victor A. Prather III.
Kennedy posthumously awarded Victor Prather the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross for 'heroism and extraordinary achievement'.
The balloonists were also awarded the 1961 Harmon Trophy for Aeronauts.
The altitude record for a manned balloon flight set by Prather and Ross in 1961 is still officially recognized by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
three balloonists have traveled higher into the stratosphere.