60 years ago, Alan Shepard became the first American in space | US Embassy & Consulates in Italy – US Embassy Rome

Astronaut Alan Shepard is helped out of his spacesuit aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain after a successful sub-orbital flight on May 5, 1961. ( AP Images)

On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American and the second man to travel in space when he launched a 15-minute, sub-orbital flight aboard NASAs Mercury spacecraftFreedom 7. (Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had completed one orbit of the Earth on April 12, about three weeks earlier.) Shepard, whose mission ushered in the age of Americanhuman spaceflight, also became the first space traveler to manually control the orientation of his craft, as Gagarins milestone flight was largely automated.

The Mercury-Redstone rocket that transported Alan Shepard is launched into space on May 5, 1961. ( AP Images)During his flight, which was televised live around the world, Shepard glimpsed the Earth from space, remarking: What a beautiful view. Ten years later, as the commander of NASAs Apollo 14 mission, he would become the fifth astronaut towalk on the moon. He even hit golf balls on the lunar surface.

By demonstrating the feasibility of space travel, Shepard began a journey that would ultimately lead to theexploration of Mars. According to NASA, the peaceful, international exploration of space began with a single step in 1961 and continues today.

By U.S. Mission Italy | 3 May, 2021 | Topics: News | Tags: NASA, Space

More:

60 years ago, Alan Shepard became the first American in space | US Embassy & Consulates in Italy - US Embassy Rome