{"id":57918,"date":"2024-05-02T14:02:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T14:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acfd6c1a-892f-4c75-b5ed-b30d426fd33f"},"modified":"2024-05-02T14:08:25","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T14:08:25","slug":"to-boldly-go-how-astronaut-alan-shepard-became-the-first-american-in-space-and-oldest-person-to-walk-on-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/to-boldly-go-how-astronaut-alan-shepard-became-the-first-american-in-space-and-oldest-person-to-walk-on-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"To boldly go… How astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space and oldest person to walk on the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story of Alan Shepard, the first American in space. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 02 May 2024 at 14:02 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The first US citizen \u2013 and only the second human being \u2013 ever to travel into space was Alan Shepard, a US astronaut with a background in naval aviation.<\/p>

In 1961 Alan Shepard made up the entire one-man crew of the NASA spacecraft Mercury-Redstone 3 (or \u2018Freedom 7\u2019 as it was nicknamed by Shepard), and on May 5th became the first American to journey into space.<\/p>

The seven Mercury astronauts were. From left: Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper and Scott Carpenter.Credits: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Shepard and the Mercury 7<\/strong><\/h2>

Alan Shepard was born in New Hampshire in 1923.<\/p>

He saw active service with the US Navy during World War Two, but didn\u2019t begin training as a naval pilot until after the war, in 1947, become a test pilot in 1950.<\/p>

In 1959, he was selected by NASA as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts<\/a>.<\/p>

All of the \u2018Mercury Seven\u2019 would eventually fly into space, but it was Shepard who got the first crack of the whip, landing the plum job of piloting Mercury-Redstone 3 into suborbital space.<\/p>

The main intention here was to see whether a human being could withstand the extremely high G-forces experienced both during a rocket launch, and upon a capsule\u2019s re-entry into Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>

Obviously, we know now that the answer is \u201cYes, they can\u201d \u2013 but that was by no means a given when Shepard signed on for the mission.<\/p>

\"5
5 May 1951: Mercury 7 astronaut Alan Shepard awaits the launch of his capsule, making him the first American in space. Credit: Harold M. Lambert\/Lambert\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Alan Shepard in space<\/strong><\/h2>

Three weeks before he actually blasted off, though, the Soviet Union\u2019s Yuri Gagarin<\/a> beat him to the title of first human in space by orbiting the Earth in the Vostok 1 spacecraft.<\/p>

It\u2019s easy to see how, to Shepard, this must have come as both a huge disappointment, and a great relief!<\/p>

Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5th 1961 when his Freedom 7 spacecraft was launched by a Mercury-Redstone rocket.<\/p>

He flew to an altitude of 116 statute miles during the 15-minute suborbital flight.<\/p>

Further scheduled flights in 1961 and 1963 were cancelled for various reasons.<\/p>

But Alan Shepard would return to space in 1971, when he commanded the Apollo 14<\/a> mission and became, at the age of 47, the oldest person ever to walk on the Moon.<\/p>

\"Astronaut
Astronaut Alan Shepard standing next to the Modular Equipment Transporter during the Apollo 14 mission. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Later life<\/strong><\/h2>

After his moonlanding, Shepard was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and made Chief of the Astronaut Office and, later, a rear admiral.<\/p>

He retired from both NASA and the US Navy in 1974.<\/p>

In later life, Shepard served on the board of several corporations and the National Space Institute, as well as the Houston School for Deaf Children, and had extensive business interests in banking and real estate.<\/p>

He co-authored the book Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon<\/em> with fellow Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton in 1994, before passing away from leukaemia in 1998.<\/p>

As an interesting coda\u2026 some 23 years after his death, Shepard\u2019s daughter Laura Shepard Churchley also went into space, as a tourist onboard the private space mission Blue Origin NS-19.<\/p>

The NS part of the name stands for \u2018New Shepard\u2019 \u2013 a fitting tribute for a man who really did boldly go where (almost) no one had gone before.<\/p>

Pictures of Alan Shepard<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Astronaut
Astronaut Alan Shepard in his Mercury pressure suit on May 5 1961, just before the flight that would make him the first American in space. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"5th
Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The original Mercury 7 astronauts were all test fighter pilots, who NASA believed had the mental mettal to cope with the rigours of space. from Left: Scott Carpenter, Fordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schira, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Mercury
NASA Mercury 7 astronauts John Glenn, Gus Grissom and Alan Shepard standing in front of the Redstone rocket. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Alan
Alan Shepard and wife Louise during a parade in Washington DC, following Shepard’s successful launch into space, 8 May 1961. Credit: Bettmann \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"5
5 May 1951: Mercury 7 astronaut Alan Shepard awaits the launch of his capsule, making him the first American in space. Credit: Harold M. Lambert\/Lambert\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The seven Mercury astronauts were. From left: Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper and Scott Carpenter. Credits: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Mercury 7 astronauts. Left to right: Gus Grissom, Deke Slayton, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Alan Shepard and Wally Schirra. Photo By Hank Walker\/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Apollo
Apollo 14 Astronauts Stuart A. Roosa, Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Edgar D. Mitchell on board the USS New Orleans following the conclusion of the Apollo 14 mission. Credit: Bettmann \/ Contributor<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"(Original
Apollo 14 astronauts (L-R) Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa, in quarantine trailer, are welcomed home by their wives (L-R) Louise Shepard, Joan Rosa and Louise Mitchell.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Astronaut
Astronaut Alan Shepard standing next to the Modular Equipment Transporter during the Apollo 14 mission. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Apollo
Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard, left, Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell during water egress training in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Keeping
Keeping watch: astronauts and flight controllers monitor Apollo 13\u2019s progress. Seated (on the right) are astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell. Leaning forward in the centre is Gene Cernan. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>