On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduces America’s first astronauts to the press: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper.
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Mission insigniaRetirementAugust 1, 1974Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American, and businessman.
In 1961, he became the first American to travel into space, and in 1971, he walked on the.A graduate of the at, Shepard saw action with the surface navy during. He became a naval aviator in 1946, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of the original astronauts in 1959, and in May 1961 he made the first crewed flight, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. His craft entered space, but was not capable of achieving. He became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space, and the first space traveler to manually control the orientation of his craft. In the final stages of Project Mercury, Shepard was scheduled to pilot the (MA-10), which was planned as a three-day mission.
He named Mercury Spacecraft 15B Freedom 7 II in honor of his first spacecraft, but the mission was canceled.Shepard was designated as the commander of the first crewed mission, but was grounded in 1963 due to, an inner-ear ailment that caused episodes of extreme dizziness and nausea. This was surgically corrected in 1969, and in 1971, Shepard commanded the mission, piloting the Antares to the most accurate landing of the missions. At age 47, he became, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to do so.
During the mission, he hit two on the.Shepard was from November 1963 to July 1969 (the approximate period of his grounding), and from June 1971 until his retirement from the and NASA on August 1, 1974. He was promoted to rear admiral on August 25, 1971, the first astronaut to reach that rank. Contents.Early life Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. Was born on November 18, 1923, in, to Alan B.
And Pauline Renza Shepard ( Emerson). He had a younger sister, Pauline, who was known as Polly. He was one of many famous descendants of passenger.
His father, Alan B. Shepard Sr., known as Bart, worked in the Derry National Bank, owned by Shepard's grandfather. Joined the in 1915 and served in France with the during. He remained in the National Guard between the wars, and was recalled to active duty during, rising to the rank of.Shepard attended Adams School in Derry, where his academic performance impressed his teachers; he skipped the sixth grade, and proceeded to at Oak Street School in Derry, where he skipped the eighth grade. He achieved the rank of.
In 1936, he went to the, a private school in Derry that his father had attended and where his grandfather had been a trustee. He completed years 9 to 12 there. Fascinated by flight, he created a model airplane club at the Academy, and his Christmas present in 1938 was a flight in a. The following year he began cycling to, where he would do odd jobs in exchange for the occasional ride in an airplane or informal flying lesson.Shepard graduated from Pinkerton Academy in 1940. Because World War II was already raging in Europe, his father wanted him to join the Army.
Shepard chose the Navy instead. He easily passed the entrance exam to the at in 1940, but at sixteen was too young to enter that year. The Navy sent him to the, a for the Naval Academy, from which he graduated with the Class of 1941. Tests administered at Farragut indicated an of 145, but his grades were mediocre.At Annapolis, Shepard enjoyed. He was a keen and competitive sailor, winning several races, including a held by the Annapolis Yacht Club. He learned to sail all the types of boats the academy owned, up to and including, a 90-foot (27 m).
He also participated in swimming, and rowed with the. During his Christmas break in 1942, he went to to be with his sister, who was unable to go home owing to wartime travel restrictions.
There he met Louise Brewer, whose parents were pensioners on the estate, and, like Renza Shepard, were devout. Owing to the war, the usual four-year course at Annapolis was cut short by a year, and he graduated and was commissioned as an on June 6, 1944, ranked 463rd in his class of 915. The following month he became secretly engaged to Louise. In 1944, he received a degree at the. Naval service. 'You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world.' —Shepard quoted at the New Mexico Museum of Space HistoryAfter a month of classroom instruction in aviation, Shepard was posted to a, in August 1944; it was US Navy policy that aviation candidates should first have some service at sea.
At the time the destroyer was deployed on active service in the Pacific Ocean. Shepard joined it when it returned to the naval base at on October 30. After just two days at sea Cogswell helped rescue 172 sailors from the, which had been torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, then escorted the crippled ship back to Ulithi. The ship was buffeted by in December 1944, a storm in which three other destroyers went down, and battled in the in January 1945. In 1945Cogswell returned to the United States for an overhaul in February 1945. Shepard was given three weeks' leave, in which time he and Louise decided to marry. The ceremony took place on March 3, 1945, in St.
Stephen's Lutheran Church in. His father, Bart, served as his best man. The newlyweds had only a brief time together before Shepard rejoined Cogswell at the on April 5, 1945. After the war, they had two children, both daughters: Laura, born in 1947, and Julie, born in 1951. Following the death of Louise's sister in 1956, they raised her five-year-old niece, Judith Williams—whom they renamed Alice to avoid confusion with Julie—as their own, although they never adopted her. They eventually had six grandchildren.On Shepard's second cruise with Cogswell, he was appointed a gunnery officer, responsible for the 20 mm and 40 mm antiaircraft guns on the ship's bow. They engaged kamikazes in the, where the ship served in the dangerous role of a.
The job of the radar pickets was to warn the fleet of incoming kamikazes, but because they were often the first ships sighted by incoming Japanese aircraft, they were also the most likely ships to be attacked. Cogswell performed this duty from May 27, 1945, until June 26, when it rejoined. The ship also participated in the, and was present in for the in September 1945. Shepard returned to the United States later that month. Shepard as a student aviator in 1946In November 1945, Shepard arrived at in, where he commenced basic flight training on January 7, 1946. He was an average student, and for a time faced being 'bilged' (dropped) from flight training and reassigned to the surface navy. To make up for this, he took private lessons at a local civilian flying school—something the Navy frowned on—earning a civil pilot's license.
His flying skills gradually improved, and by early 1947 his instructors rated him above average. He was sent to in Florida for advanced training. His final test was six perfect landings on the carrier. The following day, he received his, which his father pinned on his chest.Shepard was assigned to (VF-42), flying the. The squadron was nominally based on the, but the ship was being overhauled at the time Shepard arrived, and in the meantime the squadron was based at in. He departed on his first cruise, of the, on Franklin D. Roosevelt with VF-42 in 1948.
Most of the aviators were, like Shepard, on their first assignment. Those who were not were given the opportunity to qualify for night landings on a carrier, a dangerous maneuver, especially in a Corsair, which had to bank sharply on approach. Shepard managed to persuade his squadron commander to allow him to qualify as well. After briefly returning to Norfolk, the carrier set out on a nine-month tour of the. He earned a reputation for carousing and chasing women. He also instituted a ritual of, whenever he could, calling Louise at 17:00 (her time) each day.Normally sea duty alternated with periods of duty ashore.
In 1950, Shepard was selected to attend the at in. As a test pilot he conducted high-altitude tests to obtain information about the light and air masses at different altitudes over North America; carrier suitability certification of the; experiments with the Navy's new in-flight refueling system; and tests of the. He narrowly avoided being by the station commander, after looping the and making low passes over the beach at, and the base; but Shepard's superiors, and Robert M. Elder, interceded on his behalf. Shepard's 105th F4U sortie onShepard's next assignment was to, a squadron flying the Banshee, that was based at, California. The squadron was part of Commander 's Air Group 19.
Naval aviators with experience in jet aircraft were still relatively rare, and Ramage specifically requested Shepard's assignment on the advice of Elder, who commanded VF-193's sister squadron,. Ramage made Shepard his own, a decision that would save Ramage's life in 1954, when his oxygen system failed and Shepard talked him through a landing. As squadron operations officer, Shepard's most important task was imparting his knowledge of flying jets to his fellow aviators to keep them alive. He served two tours on the aircraft carrier in the western Pacific. It set out on a combat tour off Korea in 1953, during the, but the ended the fighting in July 1953, and Shepard did not see combat.Rear Admiral requested Shepard's services as an, but Shepard wanted to fly. Therefore, at Shepard's request, Ramage spoke to the admiral on his behalf, and Shepard was instead sent back to Patuxent. He flight tested the,.
The tended to go into an inverted spin during a snap roll. This was not unusual; many aircraft did this, but normally if the pilot let go of the stick the aircraft would correct itself. When he attempted this in the F7U, Shepard found this was not the case.
He was unable to break out of the spin and was forced to eject. In 1957, he was project test pilot on the. Shepard did not like the plane, and gave it an unfavorable report. The Navy canceled orders for it, buying the F8U instead. He also filed an unfavorable report on the F11F after a harrowing incident in which the engine failed on him during a high-speed dive. Fortunately, he managed to restart the engine.Shepard was an at the Test Pilot School, and then entered the at.
He graduated in 1957, and became as Aircraft Readiness Officer on the staff of the,. By this time he had logged more than 3,600 hours of flying time, including 1,700 hours in jets. The Mercury Seven astronauts with a USAF. From left to right:, Alan B.
Shepard and.On October 4, 1957, the launched, the first artificial. This shattered American confidence in its technological superiority, creating a wave of anxiety known as the. Among his responses, President launched the.
The (NASA) was established on October 1, 1958, as a civilian agency to develop space technology. One of its first initiatives was publicly announced on December 17, 1958. This was, which aimed to launch a man into, return him safely to the Earth, and evaluate his capabilities in space.NASA received permission from Eisenhower to recruit its first from the ranks of military test pilots. The service records of 508 graduates of test pilot schools were obtained from the.
From these, 110 were found that matched the minimum standards: the candidates had to be younger than 40, possess a bachelor's degree or equivalent and to be 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) or less. While these were not all strictly enforced, the height requirement was firm, owing to the size of the Project Mercury spacecraft. The 110 were then split into three groups, with the most promising in the first group.The first group of 35, which included Shepard, assembled at on February 2, 1959. The Navy and officers were welcomed by the, Admiral, while the officers were addressed by the,. Both pledged their support to the Space Program, and promised that the careers of volunteers would not be adversely affected. NASA officials then briefed them on Project Mercury.
They conceded that it would be a hazardous undertaking, but emphasized that it was of great national importance. That evening, Shepard discussed the day's events with fellow naval aviators, and, all of whom would eventually become astronauts. They were concerned about their careers, but decided to volunteer.The briefing process was repeated with a second group of 34 candidates a week later. Of the 69, six were found to be over the height limit, 15 were eliminated for other reasons, and 16 declined.
This left NASA with 32 candidates. Since this was more than expected, NASA decided not to bother with the remaining 41 candidates, as 32 candidates seemed a more than adequate number from which to select 12 astronauts as planned. The degree of interest also indicated that far fewer would drop out during training than anticipated, which would result in training astronauts who would not be required to fly Project Mercury missions. It was therefore decided to cut the number of astronauts selected to just six. Then came a grueling series of physical and psychological tests at the and the.
Only one candidate, Lovell, was eliminated on medical grounds at this stage, and the diagnosis was later found to be in error; thirteen others were recommended with reservations. The director of the NASA, found himself unable to select only six from the remaining eighteen, and ultimately seven were chosen.Shepard was informed of his selection on April 1, 1959. Two days later he traveled to Boston with Louise for the wedding of his cousin Anne, and was able to break the news to his parents and sister. The identities of the seven were announced at a press conference at in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1959:, Alan Shepard,.
The magnitude of the challenge ahead of them was made clear a few weeks later, on the night of May 18, 1959, when the seven astronauts gathered at to watch their first rocket launch, of an, which was similar to the one that was to carry them into orbit. A few minutes after liftoff, it spectacularly exploded, lighting up the night sky. The astronauts were stunned. Shepard turned to Glenn and said: 'Well, I'm glad they got that out of the way.' Freedom 7. Shepard in the capsule before launchFaced with intense competition from the other astronauts, particularly John Glenn, Shepard quit smoking and adopted Glenn's habit of taking a morning jog, although he did not go so far as to give up the cocktails or the philandering.
On January 19, 1961, Robert R. Gilruth, the director of NASA's Space Task Group, informed the seven astronauts that Shepard had been chosen for the first American crewed mission into space. Shepard later recalled Louise's response when he told her that she had her arms around the man who would be the first man in space: 'Who let a Russian in here?' During training he flew 120 simulated flights. Although his flight was originally scheduled for April 26, 1960, it was postponed several times by unplanned preparatory work, initially to December 5, 1960, then mid-January 1961, March 6, 1961, April 25, 1961, May 2, 1961, and finally to May 5, 1961. On April 12, 1961, Soviet became the first person in space, and the first to orbit the Earth. It was another body blow to American pride.
When Shepard heard the news he slammed his fist down on a table so hard a NASA public relations officer feared he might have broken his hand.On May 5, 1961, Shepard piloted the mission and became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. He named his spacecraft, Mercury Spacecraft 7, Freedom 7. It was launched atop a. According to in his book, 'When reporters asked Shepard what he thought about as he sat atop the Redstone rocket, waiting for liftoff, he had replied, 'The fact that every part of this ship was built by the lowest bidder.' 'Unlike Gagarin's 108-minute in a spacecraft three times the size of Freedom 7, Shepard stayed on a trajectory for the 15-minute flight, which reached an altitude of 101.2 nautical miles (116.5 statute miles; 187.4 kilometers), and then fell to a 263.1 nautical miles (302.8 statute miles; 487.3 kilometers) down the. Unlike Gagarin, whose flight was strictly automatic, Shepard had some control of Freedom 7, spacecraft in particular.
Shepard's launch was seen live on television by millions. Freedom 7 on display at the U.S. Naval Academy, it is now displayed at the in BostonSomething not seen at the time by the public was Shepard's pre-launch 'emergency'. Because the entire journey was only expected to take fifteen minutes, Shepard's suit did not have any provision for elimination of bodily wastes. After being strapped into the capsule's seat, launch delays kept him in that suit for eight hours; Shepard's endurance gave out before launch, and he was forced to empty his bladder into the suit, which shorted out the medical sensors attached to it to track the astronaut's condition in flight.
After Shepard's flight, NASA called in the space suit's manufacturer, and by the time of 's orbital flight the following year, a liquid waste collection feature had been built into the suit.After a dramatic Atlantic Ocean recovery, Shepard observed that he '. didn't really feel the flight was a success until the recovery had been successfully completed. It's not the fall that hurts; it's the sudden stop.' Splashdown occurred with an impact comparable to landing a jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier. A recovery helicopter arrived after a few minutes, and the capsule was lifted partly out of the water to allow Shepard to leave by the main hatch. He squeezed out of the door and into a sling hoist, and was pulled into the helicopter, which flew both the astronaut and spacecraft to the aircraft carrier.
The whole recovery process took just eleven minutes. Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with ticker-tape parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles, and received the from President. He was also awarded the.Shepard served as (CAPCOM) for Glenn's orbital flight, which he had also been considered for, and Carpenter's. He was the backup pilot for Cooper for the mission, nearly replacing Cooper after Cooper flew low over the NASA administration building at Cape Canaveral in an.
In the final stages of Project Mercury, Shepard was scheduled to pilot the (MA-10), which was planned as a three-day mission. He named Mercury Spacecraft 15B Freedom 7 II in honor of his first spacecraft, and had the name painted on it, but on June 12, 1963, NASA Administrator announced that Mercury had accomplished all its goals and no more missions would be flown.
Shepard went as far as making a personal appeal to President Kennedy, but to no avail. Project Gemini: Chief astronaut. Shepard and his wife Louise meet First Lady, President and Vice President at the South Portico of thefollowed on from Project Mercury, taking its name from the fact that it carried two men instead of just one. After the Mercury-Atlas 10 mission was canceled, Shepard was designated as the commander of the first crewed Gemini mission, with chosen as his pilot. In late 1963, Shepard began to experience episodes of extreme dizziness and nausea, accompanied by a loud, clanging noise in the left ear. He tried to keep it secret, fearing that he would lose his flight status, but was aware that if an episode occurred in the air or in space it could be fatal. Following an episode during a lecture in Houston, where he had recently moved from, Shepard was forced to confess his ailment to Slayton, who was now Director of Flight Operations, and seek help from NASA's doctors.The doctors diagnosed, a condition in which fluid pressure builds up in the inner ear.
This syndrome causes the semicircular canals and motion detectors to become extremely sensitive, resulting in disorientation, dizziness, and nausea. There was no known cure, but in about 20 percent of cases the condition went away by itself. They prescribed in an attempt to drain the fluid from the ear. They also diagnosed.
An X-ray found a lump on his, and on January 17, 1964, surgeons at made an incision on his throat and removed 20 percent of his thyroid. The condition caused Shepard to be removed from flight status. Grissom and flew instead.Shepard was designated in November 1963.
He thereby became responsible for NASA astronaut training. This involved the development of appropriate training programs for all astronauts and the scheduling of training of individual astronauts for specific missions and roles. He provided and coordinated astronaut input into mission planning and the design of spacecraft and other equipment to be used by astronauts on space missions. He also was on the selection panel for the in 1966. He spent much of his time investing in banks, and real estate. He became part owner and vice president of Baytown National Bank and would spend hours on the phone in his NASA office overseeing it.
He also bought a partnership in a ranch in, that raised horses and cattle. During this period, his secretary had several photographs taken of Shepard, posed with various expressions on his face.
She would post these on the door to his private office, with a sign which said 'Mood of the Day'. Visitors could then look at the photo to decide whether it was a good time to talk to him.
Characterized Shepard's dual personalities as 'Smilin' Al' and the 'Icy Commander'. 'Inside his locker', Wolfe wrote, 'he kept Smilin' Al of the Cape!' Then Al looked like a different human being, as if he had removed his ice mask. He would come out of the airplane with his eyes dancing. A great goomba-goomba grin would take over his face. You halfway expected to see him start snapping his fingers, because everything about him seemed to be asking the question: 'Where's the action?' If he then stepped into his Corvette—well, then, there you had it: the picture of the perfect Fighter Jock Away from Home.
Apollo program. Shepard in front of the during training for Apollo 14When Slayton submitted the proposed crew assignments to NASA headquarters, turned them down on the grounds that the crew was too inexperienced.
So Slayton asked Jim Lovell, who had been the backup commander for, and was slated to command, if his crew would be willing to fly Apollo 13 instead. He agreed to do so, and Shepard's inexperienced crew was assigned to Apollo 14.Neither Shepard nor Lovell expected there would be much difference between Apollo 13 and Apollo 14, but Apollo 13 went disastrously wrong. An oxygen tank explosion caused the Moon landing to be aborted and nearly resulted in the loss of the crew. It became a joke between Shepard and Lovell, who would offer to give Shepard back the mission each time they bumped into each other. The failure of Apollo 13 delayed Apollo 14 until 1971 so that modifications could be made to the spacecraft. The target of the Apollo 14 mission was switched to the, the intended destination of Apollo 13.Shepard made his second space flight as Commander of Apollo 14 from January 31 to February 9, 1971.
It was America's third successful. Shepard piloted the Lunar Module Antares to the most accurate landing of the entire Apollo program. He became the fifth and, at the age of 47, the oldest man to walk on the Moon, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to do so.This was the first mission to broadcast extensive color television coverage from the lunar surface, using the. (The same color camera model was used on and provided about 30 minutes of color telecasting before it was inadvertently pointed at the Sun, ending its usefulness.) While on the Moon, Shepard used a Wilson six-iron head attached to a lunar sample scoop handle to drive golf balls. Despite thick gloves and a stiff spacesuit, which forced him to swing the club with one hand, Shepard struck two golf balls, driving the second, as he jokingly put it, 'miles and miles and miles'.
Shepard poses next to the on the Moon during Apollo 14For this mission Shepard was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the. His citation read:The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (NSN: 0-389998), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States, as Spacecraft Commander for the Apollo 14 flight to the Fra-Mauro area of the Moon during the period 31 January 1971 to 9 February 1971.
Responsible for the on-board control of the spacecraft command module Kittyhawk and the lunar module Antares in the gathering of scientific data involving complex and difficult instrumentation positing and sample gathering, including a hazardous two-mile traverse of the lunar surface, Captain Shepard, by his brilliant performance, contributed essentially to the success of this vital scientific moon mission. As a result of his skillful leadership, professional competence and dedication, the Apollo 14 mission, with its numerous tasks and vital scientific experiments, was accomplished in an outstanding manner, enabling scientists to determine more precisely the Moon's original formation and further forecast man's proper role in the exploration of his Universe. By his courageous and determined devotion to duty, Captain Shepard rendered valuable and distinguished service and contributed greatly to the success of the United States Space Program, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.Following Apollo 14, Shepard returned to his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office in June 1971. In July 1971 President appointed him as a delegate to the 26th, a position in which he served from September to December 1971.
He was promoted to by Nixon on August 26, 1971, the first astronaut to reach this rank, although McDivitt had previously been promoted to in the Air Force. He retired from both NASA and the Navy on July 31, 1974. Later years. Shepard in 1995Shepard was devoted to his children. Frequently Julie, Laura and Alice were the only astronauts' children at NASA events. He taught them to ski and took them skiing in.
He once rented a small plane to fly them and their friends from Texas to a in Maine. He doted on his six grandchildren as well. After Apollo 14 he began to spend more time with Louise, and started taking her with him on trips to the every other year, and to Asia. Louise heard rumors of his affairs. The publication of Tom Wolfe's 1979 book made them public knowledge, but she never confronted him about it, nor did she ever contemplate leaving him.After Shepard left NASA, he served on the boards of many corporations. He also served as president of his for several business enterprises, Seven Fourteen Enterprises, Inc.
(named for his two flights, Freedom 7 and Apollo 14). He made a fortune in banking and real estate. He was a of the and the, a member of, the, the, and the American Fighter Aces, an honorary member of the board of directors for the Houston School for Deaf Children, and a of the and the Los Angeles Ear Research Institute. Together with the other surviving Mercury astronauts, and Betty Grissom, Gus Grissom's widow, in 1984 Shepard founded the Mercury Seven Foundation, which raises money to provide college scholarships to science and engineering students. It was renamed the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in 1995. Shepard was elected its first president and chairman, positions he held until October 1997, when he was succeeded by former astronaut Jim Lovell.In 1994, he published a book with two journalists, and Howard Benedict, called.
Fellow Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton is also named as an author. The book included a composite photograph showing Shepard hitting a golf ball on the Moon. There are no still images of this event; the only record is TV footage. The book was turned into a TV in 1994.Shepard was diagnosed with in 1996 and died from complications of the disease in, on July 21, 1998.
He was the second astronaut who had walked on the Moon to die, being the first, in 1991. Shepard's widow Louise resolved to cremate his remains and scatter the ashes, but she died from a heart attack on August 25, 1998, at 17:00, the time at which he had always called her. They had been married for 53 years. The family decided to cremate them both, and their ashes were scattered together by a Navy helicopter over Stillwater Cove, in front of their Pebble Beach home.
Awards and honors Shepard was awarded the by President on October 1, 1978. He also received the Golden Plate Award of the in 1981; the on May 5, 1964; the in 1963; the Lambert trophy; the; the; the; and the City of New York City Gold Medal for 1971. He was awarded honorary degrees of Master of Arts from in 1962, from in 1971, and from in 1972. He was inducted into the in 1977, the in 1981, and the on May 11, 1990. Shepard's memorial stone in, New Hampshire; his ashes were scattered at seaThe Navy named a supply ship, for him in 2006. The in, New Hampshire, is named after Shepard. In 1996, the entirety of I-565 (which passes in front of the, home to both the and a full-scale vertical Saturn V replica) was designated the 'Admiral Alan B.
Shepard Highway' in honor of astronaut Alan Shepard. In New Hampshire, from the border to, is designated the Alan B. Shepard Highway, and in, a road is named Commander Shepard Boulevard in his honor. His hometown of Derry has the nickname Space Town in honor of his career as an astronaut. Following an act of Congress, the post office in Derry was designated the Alan B. Post Office Building. Alan Shepard Park in, a beach-side park south of Cape Canaveral, is named in his honor.
The City of Virginia Beach renamed its convention center, with its integral, the Alan B. Shepard Convention Center. The building was later renamed the Alan B. Shepard Civic Center, and was razed in 1994. At the time of the Freedom 7 launch, Shepard lived in Virginia Beach.Shepard's high school alma mater in Derry, Pinkerton Academy, has a building named after him, and the school team is called the Astros after his career as an astronaut. Shepard High School, in, which opened in 1976, was named in his honor.
Framed newspapers throughout the school depict various accomplishments and milestones in Shepard's life. Additionally, an autographed plaque commemorates the dedication of the building. The school newspaper is named Freedom 7 and the yearbook is entitled Odyssey. 's suborbital space tourism rocket, the, is named after Shepard.In a 2010 survey, Shepard was ranked as the ninth most popular space hero (tied with astronauts and Gus Grissom). In 2011, NASA honored Shepard with an Ambassador of Exploration Award, consisting of a encased in, for his contributions to the U.S. Space program. His family members accepted the award on his behalf during a ceremony on April 28 at the in, where it is on permanent display.
On May 4, 2011, the issued a first-class stamp in Shepard's honor, the first U.S. Stamp to depict a specific astronaut. The first day of issue ceremony was held at NASA's.Each year, the Space Foundation, in partnership with the Astronauts Memorial Foundation and NASA, present the for outstanding contributions by K–12 educators or district-level administrators to educational technology.
The award recognizes excellence in the development and application of technology in the classroom or to the professional development of teachers. The recipient demonstrates exemplary use of technology either to foster lifelong learners or to make the learning process easier. In media. 1965 British TV series – the character of was named after him. 1983 film – played by. 1998 – played by.
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Marine helicopter recovery team hoists astronaut Alan Shepard from his Mercury spacecraft after a successful flight and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. On May 5th 1961, Alan B. Became the first American to fly into space. His Freedom 7 Mercury capsule flew a suborbital trajectory lasting 15 minutes 22 seconds. His spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean where he and his capsule were recovered by helicopter and transported to the awaiting aircraft carrier U.S.S.
Lake Champlain. Image #: S61-02723 https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-a-us-marine-helicopter-recovery-team-hoists-astronaut-alan-shepard-111968881.html. Profile of astronaut Alan Shepard in his silver pressure suit with the helmet visor closed as he prepares for his upcoming Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) launch.
On May 5th 1961, Alan B. Became the first American to fly into space. His Freedom 7 Mercury capsule flew a suborbital trajectory lasting 15 minutes 22 seconds. His spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean where he and Freedom 7 were recovered by helicopter and transported to the awaiting aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lake Champlain. Image #: S61-02766 Date: May 5, 1961 https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-profile-of-astronaut-alan-shepard-in-his-silver-pressure-suit-with-111966875.html.
Profile of astronaut Alan Shepard in his silver pressure suit with the helmet visor closed as he prepares for his upcoming Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) launch. On May 5th 1961, Alan B. Became the first American to fly into space. His Freedom 7 Mercury capsule flew a suborbital trajectory lasting 15 minutes 22 seconds. His spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean where he and Freedom 7 were recovered by helicopter and transported to the awaiting aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lake Champlain.
File Reference # 1001008THA https://www.alamy.com/profile-of-astronaut-alan-shepard-in-his-silver-pressure-suit-with-the-helmet-visor-closed-as-he-prepares-for-his-upcoming-mercury-redstone-3-mr-3-launch-on-may-5th-1961-alan-b-shepard-jr-became-the-first-american-to-fly-into-space-his-freedom-7-mercury-capsule-flew-a-suborbital-trajectory-lasting-15-minutes-22-seconds-his-spacecraft-splashed-down-in-the-atlantic-ocean-where-he-and-freedom-7-were-recovered-by-helicopter-and-transported-to-the-awaiting-aircraft-carrier-uss-lake-champlain-file-reference-1001-008tha-image218918281.html. The group portrait of the original seven astronauts for the Mercury Project April 27, 1959 in Houston, TX. Left to right at front: Walter M. Wally Schirra, Donald K. Deke Slayton, John H.
Glenn, Jr., and Scott Carpenter. Left to right at rear: Alan B. Shepard, Virgil I. Gus Grissom, and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. Carpenter one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the second American to orbit the Earth died October 10, 2013 at age 88.
Astronaut Commander Alan B Shepard, Jr, and his wife, Louise. Astronaut Commander Alan B.
Shepard, Jr., and his wife, Louise Brewer Shepard, arrive for presentation ceremony of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Distinguished Service Medal to Commander Shepard. L-R: Commander Shepard; Mrs. Shepard; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; Naval Aide to the President, Commander Tazewell Shepard (in back); President John F. Kennedy; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; White House Secret Service Agent, Gerald “Jerry” Behn (partially hidden). South Portico, White House, Washington, D.C.
A closeup of astronaut Alan Shepard in his space suit seated inside the Mercury capsule. He is undergoing a flight simulation test with the capsule mated to the Redstone booster. 1961 File Reference # 1001002THA https://www.alamy.com/a-closeup-of-astronaut-alan-shepard-in-his-space-suit-seated-inside-the-mercury-capsule-he-is-undergoing-a-flight-simulation-test-with-the-capsule-mated-to-the-redstone-booster-1961-file-reference-1001-002tha-image218918271.html. A mock-up of a Project Mercury spacecraft, like the one that carried the first American astronaut into outer space in 1961, was on display outdoors at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, when this photograph was taken 15 years later. The cone-shaped capsule is dwarfed by booster rockets in the background that were used to launch various space missions. Nowadays the original Mercury capsule that took Alan B. On his historic flight is in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Historic photograph. President John F. Kennedy watching the lift-off of the first American in space, astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., on May 5, 1961. Also pictured (L-R) are Vice President Johnson, Arthur Schlesinger, Adm. Arleigh Burke, and Mrs. Kennedy beside her husband.
Photo by Cecil Stoughton in the Office of the President's Secretary in the White House. Commander Alan Shepard, first American in space, shakes hands with President John F. Also present are Mrs.
Shepard, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, May 9, 1961 File Reference # 1003642THA https://www.alamy.com/commander-alan-shepard-first-american-in-space-shakes-hands-with-president-john-f-kennedy-also-present-are-mrs-shepard-jacqueline-bouvier-kennedy-and-vice-president-lyndon-b-johnson-may-9-1961-file-reference-1003-642tha-image218919759.html. 110711-N-ZS026-153 GULF OF ADEN (July 11, 2011) Waves crash against the bow of the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) as it transits the Gulf of Aden. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Welsh/Released) - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - Waves crash against the bow of USNS Alan Shepard https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-110711-n-zs026-153-gulf-of-aden-july-11-2011-waves-crash-against-the-129954781.html. The dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) pulls alongside the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) to conduct a replenishment-at-sea. America is the flagship for the America Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed to the U.S.
5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region. Navy https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-the-dry-cargo-and-ammunition-ship-usns-alan-shepard-t-ake-3-pulls-167443196.html.
200120-N-AT530-1219 SOUTH CHINA SEA (Jan. 20, 2020) The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8), left, conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the dry-cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3), while an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 is airborne, Jan. Astronaut Alan Shepard photographed in flight by a 16mm movie camera inside the Freedom 7 spacecraft. Shepard is just about to raise the shield in front of his face during descent after opening of the main parachute. Apollo 14 crew Ed Mitchell and Alan Shepard training to conduct the lunar extravehicular activity (EVA), 1970. Image courtesy National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Note: Image has been digitally colorized using a modern process. Colors may not be period-accurate.
https://www.alamy.com/apollo-14-crew-ed-mitchell-and-alan-shepard-training-to-conduct-the-lunar-extravehicular-activity-eva-1970-image-courtesy-national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa-note-image-has-been-digitally-colorized-using-a-modern-process-colors-may-not-be-period-accurate-image349195169.html. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Longknife, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, conduct Deck Qualification Landings in their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in the Persian Gulf Dec. Aircrew practiced landing on the deck of the USNS Alan Shepard. (Photo by Spc. Rose Athena Wolford, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs) https://www.alamy.com/army-national-guard-soldiers-assigned-to-company-f-2nd-battalion-238th-aviation-regiment-task-force-longknife-40th-combat-aviation-brigade-conduct-deck-qualification-landings-in-their-uh-60-black-hawk-helicopter-in-the-persian-gulf-dec-31-aircrew-practiced-landing-on-the-deck-of-the-usns-alan-shepard-photo-by-spc-rose-athena-wolford-40th-combat-aviation-brigade-public-affairs-image215689543.html. PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (Oct. 26, 2017) - Conservators pause during the process of removing the large mural “Naval Aviation in Space” from the wall of the former Officers Club at NAS Patuxent River prior to the building’s demolition.
Dedicated in 1986, the mural was painted by artist George McWilliams while he was still employed at Pax River as a draftsman/illustrator. The 12-by-20 mural features astronauts Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, Scott Carpenter and John Glenn and will be placed in storage at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum prior to undergoing further conservation efforts.
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