alan shepard
A former Navy test pilot, Shepard was one of the original seven astronauts chosen by NASA for its Mercury program. [1]
In fact, Wolfe found there were two Alan Shepards. [2]
On May 5 of that year, a Redstone rocket launched America’s first astronaut, Alan Shepard, beyond the earth’s atmosphere, into space. [3]
The name “Freedom Seven” was Alan Shepard’s choice. [4]
Alan Shepard, the first American in space, commanded Apollo 14 at age 47 in 1971. [5]
– Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., America’s first man in space, the fifth to walk on the moon and considered by some to be the epitome of the original American astronauts, has died at age 74, NASA said Wednesday. [2]
To help relieve any tension Shepard might have built up before his flight, Glenn pasted a little sign on the spacecraft instrument panel, reading “No handball playing here.” [4]
After graduation, he participated in flight test work which included high- altitude tests to obtain data on light at different altitudes and on a variety of air masses over the American continent; and test and development experiments of the Navy’s in-flight refueling system, carrier suitability trails of the F2H3 Banshee, and Navy trials of the first angled carrier deck. [6]
Shepard went to the United States Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1950, then served two tours in flight test work at that station. [7]
Shepard was appointed by the President in July 1971 as a delegate to the 26th United Nations General Assembly and served through the entire assembly which lasted from September to December 1971. [...] He was accompanied on man’s third lunar landing mission by Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot. [6]
After his historic space flight in 1961, amid a period of Cold War hate and uncertainty, Shepard re-invigorated the American psyche with his portrayal of the unflappable, can-do techno-warrior. [2]
The first American in space, Alan Shepard’s (born 1923) 1961 flight was immortalized in the book and movie, “The Right Stuff”. [8]
After graduation, he participated in flight test work which included high-altitude tests to obtain data on light at different altitudes and on a variety of air masses over the American continent; test and development experiments of the Navy’s in-flight refueling system; carrier suitability trials of the F2H-3 Banshee; and Navy trials of the first angled carrier deck. [9]
Shepard was so eager to receive his wings and pilot’s license that he studied at a civilian flying school in his spare time while attending naval flight training at Corpus Christi, Texas and Pensacola, Florida. [10]
Sources:
[1] Alan Shepard: A Who2 Profile (www.who2.com/alanshepard.html)
[2] CNN - Alan Shepard was ‘a pretty cool customer’ - July 22, 1998 (www.cnn.com/US/9807/22/
[3] Adm. Alan Shepard, Jr. Profile (www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/
[4] Alan Shepard - Project Mercury Freedom 7 history - Alan Shepard spaceflight (www.thespaceplace.com/history/
[5] Alan Shepard - Out of this World Golfer (www.pasturegolf.com/archive/
[6] Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Biographical Data (www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/
[7] 40th Anniversary of Mercury 7: Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/
[8] Alan Shepard: Biography from Answers.com (www.answers.com/topic/alan-shepard)
[9] Alan Shepard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Shepard)
[10] Alan Shepard Biography — Academy of Achievement (www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/