Alan Shepard - Wikipedia
Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he became the …
60 Years Ago: Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space
May 5, 2021 · In 1961, the United States and the Soviet Union found themselves in a race to put the first human being into space. The United States initiated Project Mercury in 1958 to put the first American …
Alan Shepard: First American in Space - National Air and Space Museum
He became the first American and the second man in space on May 5, 1961, when he piloted the Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 on a 490-kilometer (300-mile), 15-minute suborbital flight. He would …
Alan B. Shepard, Jr. | Mercury Program, Apollo Program, Moon …
Jan 23, 2026 · Alan B. Shepard, Jr., was the first U.S. astronaut to travel in space.
Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space - HISTORY
Nov 24, 2009 · On May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel into space.
Alan Shepard, the first American in space | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Jan 28, 2026 · Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5th 1961 when his Freedom 7 spacecraft was launched by a Mercury-Redstone rocket. He flew to an altitude of 116 statute miles …
Alan Shepard: First American Man in Space - Douglas Space and …
May 5, 2025 · Less than a month later, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space during a suborbital flight aboard his Mercury Capsule, Freedom 7. Shepard and the other …
1st American in space, 63 years ago today - EarthSky
May 5, 2024 · Just 23 days after Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first person in space, NASA launched astronaut Alan Shepard aboard the Freedom 7 capsule powered by a Redstone …
Who was the First American in Space? Check History and Facts
Jul 28, 2025 · Alan B. Shepard Jr.'s pioneering flight aboard Freedom 7 marked an indelible moment in history, establishing him as the first American in space. This achievement, driven by the intense …
Over 60 Years Ago, Alan Shepard Became the First American in Space
May 5, 2023 · Who Was the First American Astronaut in Space? That man was 37-year-old Alan Shepard, a gruff New Englander and progeny of a wealthy and fiercely loyal military family.