Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. and Freedom 7

Hey all,

Alan Shepard became a pilot in 1947 for the Navy, and, by the end of 1950, he had completed the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and continued to be a test pilot until 1959. In that year, 110 military test pilots were invited to join the newly formed NASA. Of these men, only 7 would be picked for space flight. These men would become known as the Mercury 7 astronauts. Shepard numbered among this elite group and was chosen as the first American to fly into space (some say it was because he was the smartest of the men). Delays continually pushed back the launch date until Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Less than a month later on May 5th, 1961, Shepard would be the first American launched into space for a total of 15 minutes (I recommend reading or watching the Right Stuff for more details about this flight and other Mercury flights). The craft was appropriately named Freedom 7 and carried the man 116 miles into space on a sub-orbital trajectory. While Shepard did not orbit, his flight was still historic, and he was slated as a national hero on his return. The United States Space Program was moving forward, but they still lagged behind the Russians.