Alan Shepard
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NASA
Building on America’s 65-Year Legacy of Human Spaceflight
On the morning of May 5, 1961, the Mercury-Redstone 3 launch vehicle lifted into the sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. Over the next 15 minutes, Shepard ascended to an altitude of 116 miles (187 kilometers) in his Freedom 7 spacecraft, becoming the first American to fly into space before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. This short flight…
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NASA
The Overview Effect: Astronaut Perspectives from 25 Years in Low Earth Orbit
To see Earth from space is to be forever changed by the view. Since Alan Shepard became the first American to lay eyes on our home planet from above, countless NASA astronauts have described feeling awed by the astonishing sight and a profound shift in perspective that followed. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick points his camera through a cupola window as…
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NASA
Who Was Alan Shepard? (Grades 5-8)
This article is for students grades 5-8. Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He was one of NASA’s first seven astronauts. Later, he walked on the moon during the Apollo program. What Was Shepard’s Early Life Like? Alan Shepard was born on Nov. 18, 1923. He was born in East Derry, N.H., and grew up there. He earned…
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NASA
Apollo 14 Moon Landing
This Feb. 5, 1971, photo gives an excellent view of the Apollo 14 lunar module on the Moon’s surface after landing. At left, we can see that the astronauts – Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell – deployed the U.S. flag before taking this photo of the lunar module. Shepard and Mitchell touched down in the Fra Mauro highlands region and conducted two moonwalks lasting more than…
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NASA
Celebrating Astronaut Alan Shepard’s 100th Birthday
Born barely 20 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, Alan Shepard grew up to fly combat missions in World War II, test multiple new aircraft, become the first American in space, and ultimately hit the first golf shot on the Moon. Born on Nov. 18, 1923, Shepard lifted off in the Freedom 7 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 5,…
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