On May 5, 1961, Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American in space after climbing atop a Mercury-Redstone rocket. The approximately 15-minute suborbital hop officially put the Americans into the space race, which had begun in 1957 with the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik.

Shepard, a Naval aviator known for his icy demeanor under pressure, was the second man to visit space — the first having been Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin – and would later become the fifth man to walk on the moon, serving as commander of Apollo 14. He was the only member of the original seven Mercury Program astronauts to visit the moon. 

While on Earth's only natural satellite, Shepard took a few strokes at a golf ball with a makeshift club, becoming one of the indelible images of the Apollo program.

Shepard flew in space only the two times, having been sidelined after his first flight by an inner-ear problem until a medical procedure enabled him to return to flight status in time for him to earn command of an Apollo mission.

Shepard died in July 1998 at the age of 74.

Considering the name of my blog, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that 39 years ago today, Neil Alden Armstrong and Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon.

The Apollo 11 mission marked the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and fulfilled the commitment made in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy (in a speech at Rice University) to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Kennedy, unfortunately, would not live to see that accomplishment.

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

– President John F. Kennedy

By the time Apollo 11 landed, the nation had been locked in a space race with the then-Soviet Union since 1957, following the launch of a spherical, beeping satellite named Sputnik. We were beat to the punch on putting the first man into space — that honor went to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin — but were never far behind, putting Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. into space a mere 23 days later.

Pictured, from left, are Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin. The top photo is Aldrin on the lunar surface. It’s interesting to note that beyond grainy television footage, there are no photographs of Armstrong, first man on the moon, on the surface; he had the camera during the lunar excursion.

Along also for the ride aboard Apollo 11, is the unsung member of the crew, command module pilot Michael Collins, who orbited while Armstrong and Aldrin frolicked on the lunar surface. Still, Collins is amongst a select group of men, one of only 24 to have journeyed to the Earth’s desolate moon.

I actually had the opportunity to meet Mr. Aldrin back in 2002. It was an incredible honor and thrill to hear him speak and even ask him a few questions during a joint interview. And, to this day, I am still amazed that I had the opportunity to shake hands with a man who had walked on another world, something only 12 men in total can claim.

Learn More…

• About Apollo 11
• NASA (main site)
• NASA: Hubble
• NASA: Johnson Space Center
• NASA: Kennedy Space Center
• Space.com