USA LAUNCHES ASTRONAUT INTO SPACE FROM CAPE CANAVERAL
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard, Jr.* was launched aboard the "Freedom 7" spacecraft from the National Aeronautics Space Complex here in Cape Canaveral becoming the first American in space.
Shepard was launched atop a REDSTONE ROCKET**. His suborbital flight lasted 15 minutes and traveled 116 miles into the atmosphere. Because of the configuration of the porthole, the astronaut could not see the stars. He also was strapped so tightly into the capsule he did not experience weightlessness. Also, the filter in the window made the earth appear black and white.
Alan B. Shepard, Jr. was selected as one of 110 test pilots by NASA in 1959 for potential astronaut selection. He made the final cut to become one of the MERCURY 7. Shepard was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal by President John F. Kennedy on May 8, 1961
*Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (1923-1998) was born in Derry, NH. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1944 & served in WWII. ABSJ graduated from the Naval War College in Newport, RI in 1957. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter presented Shepard with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
**The Redstone Rocket propelled Alan B. Shepard, Jr. and his Freedom 7 Mercury capsule into space. Lift off was at 9:34 a.m. The event was witnessed by 45 million television viewers including JFK & LBJ.
SOURCE
"Alan Shepard: First American in Space," by Nola Taylor Redd, October 10, 2018, www.space.com
JFK Pins Medal on Alan Shepard
NASA Photo (May 8, 1961)
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard, Jr.* was launched aboard the "Freedom 7" spacecraft from the National Aeronautics Space Complex here in Cape Canaveral becoming the first American in space.
Shepard was launched atop a REDSTONE ROCKET**. His suborbital flight lasted 15 minutes and traveled 116 miles into the atmosphere. Because of the configuration of the porthole, the astronaut could not see the stars. He also was strapped so tightly into the capsule he did not experience weightlessness. Also, the filter in the window made the earth appear black and white.
Alan B. Shepard, Jr. was selected as one of 110 test pilots by NASA in 1959 for potential astronaut selection. He made the final cut to become one of the MERCURY 7. Shepard was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal by President John F. Kennedy on May 8, 1961
*Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (1923-1998) was born in Derry, NH. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1944 & served in WWII. ABSJ graduated from the Naval War College in Newport, RI in 1957. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter presented Shepard with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
**The Redstone Rocket propelled Alan B. Shepard, Jr. and his Freedom 7 Mercury capsule into space. Lift off was at 9:34 a.m. The event was witnessed by 45 million television viewers including JFK & LBJ.
SOURCE
"Alan Shepard: First American in Space," by Nola Taylor Redd, October 10, 2018, www.space.com
JFK Pins Medal on Alan Shepard
NASA Photo (May 8, 1961)
