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Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon, at age 47.
Nov 21, 2023 · Quick Facts. Shepard has been awarded two NASA Distinguished Service Medals. Shepard holds the distinction of being the first American to journey into space. Shepard made his second space flight as spacecraft commander on Apollo 14, January 31 – February 9, 1971.
Apr 2, 2014 · Alan Shepard became one of the original seven Mercury program astronauts in 1959. He later commanded the Apollo 14 flight.
6 days ago · U.S. astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain on May 5, 1961, after the return of his Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 (in background) from the first crewed suborbital flight.
May 11, 2011 · Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He was one of NASA’s first seven astronauts. He also walked on the moon. What Was Shepard’s Early Life Like? Alan Shepard was born on Nov. 18, 1923. He worked on a ship during World War II. After the war, Shepard went back to school. He became a test pilot. Test pilots try out new aircraft.
U.S. Navy test pilot Alan Shepard joined the astronaut program in 1959. He became the first American and the second man in space on May 5, 1961, when he piloted the Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 on a 490-kilometer (300-mile), 15-minute suborbital flight.
Apr 30, 2021 · On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space. His historic mission in the Freedom 7 spacecraft came a little over three weeks after the Soviet Union successfully made Yuri Gagarin the first person in space.
May 5, 2021 · Shepard, a Navy test pilot and NASA astronaut, became the first American to fly in space. Shepard’s flight was a triumph, not least because it had been conducted live on national television and in front of the world press. It was a notable contrast to the secretive ways of the Communist-led Soviet Union.
May 2, 2016 · Three weeks later, NASA astronaut Alan Shepard flew aboard a Mercury spacecraft he named Freedom 7. It was a short, 15-minute flight into space, but it was a “small step” that has led to many “giant leaps.”
May 3, 2019 · 58 years ago, Alan Shepard was launched into history aboard a Mercury Redstone rocket (originally used by the U.S. Army for missiles), becoming the first American astronaut in space. On May 5, 1961, Shepard rocketed into space inside his Freedom 7 capsule.
