It's Been 65 Years Since NH's Alan Shepard Became First American in Space

Alan Shepard, the First American in Space, Once Said the Words America Needs to Hear in 2026

The astronaut slipped the surly bonds of Earth 65 years ago yesterday.

It's been 65 years since NH's Alan Shepard became first American in space

Tuesday marks 65 years since New Hampshire native Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space.

From Alan Shepard to Artemis, celebrating 65 years of Americans in space

Astronaut Alan Shepard, May 5th, 1961. | Photo: Photo12 / UIG / Getty Images On the morning of May 5th, 1961, 37-year-old Alan Shepard woke up, ate a breakfast (consisting of a filet mignon wrapped in bacon, scrambled eggs, and orange juice), strapped into the Freedom 7 rocket, and blasted off into space, becoming the first American astronaut to do so. Shepard's historic flight - and the first crewed flight of Project Mercury - did two things. …

Building on America’s 65-Year Legacy of Human Spaceflight

America’s first human spaceflight begins as the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) space vehicle, with astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. aboard, launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 5, 1961.NASA 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 Freedo…

May 5, 1961: The first American in space

In 1961, amidst the tensions of the Space Race, NASA made an unpopular choice: Concerned with booster issues during a January test flight with a chimpanzee, the agency chose to run additional tests without human astronauts. Project Mercury, the American push for space success in the face of strong competition from the Soviets, had beenContinue reading "May 5, 1961: The first American in space" The post May 5, 1961: The first American in space ap…

1st American in space, 65 years ago today